Ep. 9: Talking About Suicide

It's National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and today's episide offers an exploration of suicide and the many ways we can support those who are struggling today.

To help educate us on this subject are two guests, Meredith Sears, Ph.D — a clinical psychologist who specializes in suicide prevention and serves as the President of the Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and Brittney Elko — an AFSP board member who shares her personal story of loss, and her expertise as a 988/TALK crisis line volunteer and organizer of ASFP's Healing Conversations program.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 7:25: Specific vocabulary that may be helpful and harmful in conversations about suicide
• 18:20: Stigma and common misconceptions about suicide and suicide attempts vs. the true nature of depression and suicidal ideation
• 31:30: What you can say or do when someone discloses that they are having suicidal thoughts
• 48:30: Dialectical Behavior Therapy
• 55:20: Firearms, lethal means safety, and other effective prevention strategies
• 1:04:35: Postvention and the unique, complex nature of grieving a suicide loss
• 1:20:40: Three recommendations for anyone feeling suicidal today or supporting someone with suicidal thoughts today

Resources:

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Healing Conversations
• Safe Plan App

Sources & mentions from this episode:

• AFSP statistics 
• NAMI statistics
• Centre for Suicide Prevention: How Many People Are Affected by One Suicide

If you want to follow along in our journey or check out our products, find us at our website thoughtfulhuman.co, or find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

P.S. If you or someone you love needs access to a month of free online therapy: betterhelp.com/thoughtfulhuman.