REASON TO LIVE
SUICIDE PREVENTION

FAMILY & FRIENDS: BE AWARE OF SMILING DEPRESSION

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National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): What You Need to Know about Smiling Depression

https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/September-2016/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Smiling-Depression%E2%80%9D

 

Smiling depression involves appearing happy to others and smiling through the pain, keeping the inner turmoil hidden. It’s a major depressive disorder with atypical symptoms, and as a result, many don’t know they’re depressed or don’t seek help. People with smiling depression are often partnered or married, employed and are quite accomplished and educated. Their public, professional and social lives are not struggling. Their façade is put together and accomplished.

 

But behind the mask and behind closed doors, their minds are filled with thoughts of worthlessness, inadequacy and despair. They’ve usually struggled with depression and/or debilitating anxiety for years and have had some experience with therapy or medication. Many don’t disclose their depression due to fear of discrimination from loved ones or employers.

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Dina Goldstein Silverman, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry, said that there’s a troubling connection between smiling depression and suicide. In contrast with a patient who has little energy to even get out of bed, chronically depressed patients who report a surge of energy might be more likely to initiate a suicide attempt. Significant traumatic life changes—such as a recent job loss or divorce—are often predictors of suicide attempts, particularly in men. In some cases, having young children or being devoutly religious may serve as protective factors. But many of us know exceptions to that.

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One of the deaths that shocked my community the most was the suicide of a Sunday school teacher and youth counselor. Active in our church and several nonprofits, he mentored many and loved connecting people. … His life was one-of-a-kind, but unfortunately his story is not. Many who have felt the impact of a friend’s suicide say the same thing: “I had no idea he was suffering. He was the last person I would have expected to do this.”

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Many people struggling with smiling depression are perfectionists, or they don’t want to appear weak or out of control. The more we can shift the conversation to show positive role models living with depression—those who advocate for the mix of therapy, exercise, medication, sleep, diet—the less shame and stigma will be associated with it.

Pay more attention to your loved ones. If you have a friend who suddenly stops responding to phone calls or texts or cancels plans, don’t hesitate to ask them what’s going on and if they’re feeling okay. Let them know that they are heard and are not alone. Also, it’s vital to notice if a loved one begins giving away possessions or begins to isolate and withdraw.

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“As a therapist, I try to encourage [my patients] to develop authentic social relationships, so he or she can experience the relief of being heard, understood and validated by friends and loved ones, and build genuine connections,” Silverman said.

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(Laura Coward, September 2, 2016—Excerpt)

 

FAMILY & FRIENDS: SUICIDE PREVENTION WEBSITES

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National Federation of Families—Bringing Lived Experience to Family Support

https://www.ffcmh.org/resources-suicide

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The National Federation of Families, a national family-run organization, serves as the national voice for families of children who experience emotional, behavioral, and mental health and/or substance use challenges - across the lifespan. We: 

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• Advocate at the national level for the inclusion of family voice in all aspects of services and supports across clinical, educational and community settings

• Promote effective partnerships among families, professionals, and policymakers at the local, state, and national level

• Advance the value of lived experience and the family peer workforce to support families

• Collaborate with family-run and mission-aligned organizations to transform family-serving systems and health care in America

 

Teens and Suicide: What Parents Should Know

https://afsp.org/teens-and-suicide-what-parents-should-know

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As a parent, you can teach and model healthy habits for mental health just as you would with physical health. Taking care of your own mental health, talking about it openly, and seeking therapy when warranted is one way to model healthy practices. If your child sees you approaching your own challenges and learning for your own mistakes in an open way, they will understand that it’s okay to struggle and to learn from mistakes. They may develop flexibility and compassion for their own missteps — possibly even empathy for others, seeing how you navigate challenging times. They will also understand that life is messy and challenging for everyone at different times.

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What Parents Can Do to Prevent Youth Suicide

https://suicideprevention.nv.gov/Youth/WhatYouCanDo/

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Form a Good Relationship with Your Youth

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• Providing a stable, safe physical and emotional home environment.

• Spending quality time with young people.

• LISTENING to teenagers, not only to what is being said, but also to the covert messages.

• Being supportive and not intrusive.

• Encouraging the appropriate expression of emotions

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Early Intervention in Stressful Situations

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• Take Suicidal Threats Seriously

• Early detection and management of psychiatric illness.

• Appropriate intervention after a suicide attempt.

• Be vigilant of changes in behavior.

• Seek advice or help from professionals if in doubt.

 

Families Against Suicide – FAS

https://www.facebook.com/Families-Against-Suicide-FAS-671700059525194/

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Families against suicide is a page used for families or individuals to help prevent, educate and to discuss about suicide or suicides.



FAMILY & FRIENDS: OTHER RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY
 

Strengthening Families Program

https://strengtheningfamiliesprogram.org/families/sfp-dvd/

 

Dr. Karol Kumpfer, creator of the Strengthening Families Program, and Jaynie Brown teamed up to create a new 11-session SFP7-17 Years Home-Use video (DVD or view Online). This new SFP universal prevention version is an entertaining series of parenting and family-life skills for parents and children to watch together at home. It has 11 thirty-minute lessons including an Introductory Lesson that discusses the benefits of SFP to promote positive brain development and resiliency, and a Mindfulness segment to promote better emotional regulation. It comes with an optional Spanish audio track.

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The SFP DVD package contains two disks and a Parent Guidebook. Delightful handouts and tracking sheets in both Spanish and English that go with each lesson can be printed off the DVD disk when it is placed in a computer. 

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The SFP DVD contains the same research-proven skills found in the original 14-week classes, with additions on anger management, tips for school success, and the harms of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs to the developing teen brain. Families are invited at intervals to pause the DVD and practice the skills they just learned. In addition to watching the video lessons at home, the SFP DVD can also be used in a multi-family SFP Family Discussion Group with a trained facilitator. The SFP DVD can also be used in a clinic setting for individual counseling, or taught to families in-home with a trained SFP Family Coach.

 

(Jaynie Brown, who helped to write and produce the Strengthening Families Program is my sister. I highly recommend this amazing program!)

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