FACTS ON SUICIDE

• More people die by suicide than murder or HIV/AIDS.
• For every suicide there are 25 attempted suicides.
• It is estimated that 80% of all in home suicides are being cleaned up by a family member due to a lack of funds, or because of the guilt and shame they feel, they can not bring themselves to include one more person in their very personal tragic situation, including an insurance adjuster.
• Once a person cleans up a suicide scene of a loved one, they are in the highest risk group for future suicides.  They are now 75% more likely to commit suicide later on in life than the general population.
• Of all suicides, 75% of them have told someone of their intentions.
  

Know "WHY" about suicide!

If you learn "WHY" you will save more lives than "CPR" or the "Heimlich Maneuver".

"WHY" stands for the three rules to prevent a suicide:

W -  Warning signs of suicide.

H  -  How to help someone that is suicidal.

Y  -  You will personally make a difference.

The two main reasons for people to attempt suicide are because of romance problems and/or financial issues.

So, if you know someone that has just recently experienced a breakup of a relationship, or the loss of a job, following three simple rules called, "WHY" can save a person's life.

Human beings have a tendency to associate their self-worth & identity with their possessions and positions in life.  Romance and finance can give individuals a false sense of control, power or security.  When either one, romance or financial, situation changes drastically, some individuals will experience a feeling of being out of control, powerlessness, and in an identity crisis.

The top warning signs of someone that is contemplating suicide are:

1. They tell you that they want to die, or simply say that they can not do it anymore.
2. They give away prized possessions.
3. They are suddenly happy after a long period of depression.
4. In youth, 10 to 18 years of age, depression is mostly expressed through apathy.

Help:

If you know that someone is suicidal, and you do not know what to do, call 911.  It is better that someone be mad at you for awhile than for you to be attending their funeral in a few days.

Watch:

If you know that someone just found out that they are breaking up from a relationship, just be fired, laid off, lost money in the stock market, etc., the first forty-eight hours is crucial for them to process the change in their value, status, and self image.  It is imperative that you do not leave individuals alone during this process as they my act out in a knee jerk reaction to a major life change, such as already stated.  If after forty-eight hours they are not accepting the change, then you need to get them professional help.

Listen:

Listen to what people have to say without wanting to fix them.  By allowing someone to verbalize the thoughts in their head, without judgment, will allow them to see that there is another way.

Questions:

We have control over two things in this life: what we focus on and the intensity of what we are focusing on.  Getting an individual to change their focus off of a suicidal thought is easily changed through questions.  Asking a person a question will immediately redirect their focus to a new thought, requiring considerable effort to return to thoughts of suicide.

Looking forward, not backwards:

Those that are suicidal tend to live in the past, not able to see tomorrow without their identity.  We can only have one thought at a time, so getting another person to set a goal is a good way to move their focus off of what is, to what will be.

Learn how to save a life today, before it is too late!

Developed by: ISP (International Suicide Prevention), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity.

To learn more facts about suicide, go to: http://www.supportisp.org.