Suicide Prevention Month: Anyone Can Learn What I Learned as A Suicide Hotline Volunteer

By Clark Herman, Senior Writer and Content Manager, Golin Health?

“I’m here,” I said, over the phone to a complete stranger in suicidal crisis. That was five years ago, and I still cannot believe the impact that those two words had, not just for this person’s life, but for mine and so many others.??

From 2015-2018 I volunteered on a crisis hotline, and I observed many callers struggle with physical as well as mental health. It stands to reason that physical health can affect how we feel about our lives. In fact, studies have shown that cancer patients have suicide rates twice as high as the general population, skin disorders like atopic dermatitis see higher-than-average rates of suicide, and we see disease as an important risk factor for suicide in the elderly.[1,2,3]?

So much of my work as a writer in the life sciences industry has hinged on my ability to tap into empathy and put myself in others’ shoes. I am so grateful for my time as a listener on the crisis and suicide hotline because it taught me skills to actively practice for understanding and attempting to alleviate suffering in others. When writing for patients and healthcare professionals alike, I try to find ways to understand how it must feel to manage conditions, whether for oneself or others, that have no cure. My intent is always to help others find a sense of peace or empowerment, and in assisting healthcare companies in telling their stories, my hope is to provide comfort that solutions exist for those who struggle.?

This year, for Suicide Prevention Month, I want to celebrate a victory, albeit a bittersweet one. For years, 1-800-273-TALK was the number people called to connect with a national patchwork of crisis lines. As of July 20, 2022, callers nationwide can dial 988 if they need to talk to someone.?

Some of the reasons I say this victory is bittersweet are obvious. Suicide is, for many, a difficult subject of conversation. As with mental health in general, stigma abounds. People are afraid to open up about it for fear of being judged unfairly and harshly, and possibly losing social connections. The fear is completely valid, as we can see how the loss of social connections can affect our mental health negatively and further exacerbate any thoughts one has of ending one’s life.?

The bittersweet triumph of 988 can also be attributed to increasingly worrying statistics. Suicide rates are rising among Hispanics, African Americans, and youth. Increasingly, we have seen how socioeconomic status affects health outcomes, and this includes mental health. And suicide rates are higher among those of lower socioeconomic status, income, and/or education in the United States.[4,5,6,7]?

The silver lining to all this is that there are solutions that have been proven to help. According to the CDC, strengthening economic support, promoting connectedness, and other changes lend themselves to a network of strategies to reduce suicidal behavior.8 Of these, it is imperative that we remove barriers to access for mental health care, as this is one of the most significant yet modifiable risk factors for suicidal behavior. The more we can help people get the help they need, the better. [8,6]

While professional help is important, I’ve seen firsthand that we could all do well to learn ways to help ourselves and others in crisis. We, as individuals, can cultivate the skills and tools necessary to help our friends and family when they need support. One of the most common tools in suicide prevention, Safety Planning Intervention, helps individuals to list out how to identify when they are in suicidal crisis, ways they can cope, people they can call, and other resources they can tap into to help them. I have used it many a time to help people navigate their way out of such a dark place. It is a very simple set of questions that anyone can learn.?[9]

I think that the most important thing we can do is to speak out. Shame and stigma thrive in darkness, and our ability to combat mental health challenges starts with being able to talk about it. Despite months of training, and time spent speaking to thousands of strangers thinking of ending their life, the truth is that lending support to someone in this state is never, and will never be, easy, and that is the whole point. It is an exercise in willingness to be just as powerless as the person who is reaching out to you. It is the willingness to climb down in that hole with them and say something so simple and yet so powerful: “I’m here.”?

References?

1. McFarland DC, Walsh L, Napolitano S, Morita J, Jaiswal R. Suicide in Patients With Cancer: Identifying the Risk Factors. Oncology (Williston Park). Jun 19 2019;33(6):221-6. ?

2. Picardi A, Lega I, Tarolla E. Suicide risk in skin disorders. Clin Dermatol. Jan-Feb 2013;31(1):47-56. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2011.11.006?

3. Ding OJ, Kennedy GJ. Understanding Vulnerability to Late-Life Suicide. Curr Psychiatry Rep. Jul 17 2021;23(9):58. doi:10.1007/s11920-021-01268-2?

4. Khubchandani J, Price J. Suicides Among Non-Elderly Adult Hispanics, 2010–2020. Journal of Community Health. 08/08 2022;doi:10.1007/s10900-022-01123-2?

5. Robinson WL, Whipple CR, Keenan K, Flack CE, Wingate L. Suicide in African American Adolescents: Understanding Risk by Studying Resilience. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. May 9 2022;18:359-385. doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-072220-021819?

6. Perry SW, Rainey JC, Allison S, et al. Achieving health equity in US suicides: a narrative review and commentary. BMC Public Health. 2022/07/15 2022;22(1):1360. doi:10.1186/s12889-022-13596-w?

7. Vukojevi? M, Zovko A, Tali? I, et al. Parental Socioeconomic Status as a Predictor of Physical and Mental Health Outcomes in Children - Literature Review. Acta Clin Croat. Dec 2017;56(4):742-748. doi:10.20471/acc.2017.56.04.23?

8. Prevention Strategies. CDC. Updated July 5, 2022. Accessed August 21, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/prevention/index.html ?

9. Ferguson M, Rhodes K, Loughhead M, McIntyre H, Procter N. The Effectiveness of the Safety Planning Intervention for Adults Experiencing Suicide-Related Distress: A Systematic Review. Arch Suicide Res. Apr 29 2021:1-24. doi:10.1080/13811118.2021.1915217?