Suicide Prevention and the Pain of Being a Loss Survivor

Some heartbreaking statistics …

·????????Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the US.

·????????In 2020, nearly 46,000 Americans died by suicide and there were an estimated 1.2 million suicide attempts.

·????????On average in the US, there are 130 suicides per day.

Years ago, I was mentoring an amazing young man, one of the most talented individuals I’ve ever met. He went through a rough patch, but things were looking up and I thought he was okay.

I was wrong.

We lost him to suicide. I was devastated.

A few years later, I came across an event called Suicide Walk: Out of the Darkness. Thinking I had recovered from the loss of my friend, I decided to get my dog and join hundreds of other survivors.

As we walked, I learned that I was still hurting and broken over that loss.

I met someone that day who opened my eyes to so many issues related to suicide and who had the grace and kindness to help me heal. Her name is Tara Larsen. She’s the area director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and she was my guest on The Crossman Conversation.

Some of the points she shared include:

When someone has lost a loved one to any type of death, they want to be able to talk about that person and celebrate them. People are often uncomfortable talking about someone who has died from suicide but it’s important to the healing process to do it. Encourage the survivors to talk and be a supportive listener.

It’s common for suicide loss survivors to be angry at the person who died. It’s all part of the grieving process.

If you have lost someone to suicide, know that you are not alone. There are other loss survivors who want to help you work through your grief—you just have to reach out to them through the many support groups we have in Central Florida. And if you’re not comfortable with the idea of a group, there are people (volunteers and professionals) who will meet with you one-on-one. “When you’ve lost someone to suicide, it’s important to focus on your own mental health and wellbeing,” Tara said.

If you know someone who appears to be struggling and may be considering suicide, reach out and ask them directly so you can guide them to help. Asking the question is not going to put the idea into their head if it wasn’t already there. “They’ll probably be grateful that you took the time to notice and to ask,” Tara said. “By asking, you can relieve the burden on someone who is struggling and be supportive, non-judgmental, and provide them with resources.”

It's important to know that there is hope and that help is available. For information and resources to prevent suicide and to help loss survivors, visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s website at afsp.org.

To hear our raw and painfully honest conversation, go to: https://www.theshepherdradio.com/podcasts/the-crossman-conversation/episode/s1e02-tara-larsen-from-the-american-foundation-for-suicide-prevention-discusses-suicide-prevention-and-the-upcoming-event-to-draw-awareness/ It could save a life.

John Crossman is the founder of Crossman Career Builders, the host of The Crossman Conversation, and the author of Career Killers Career Builders. Check out Crossman Career Builders on YouTube. Connect with John on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram