September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. A month to aim awareness around suicide and mental health - topics many shy away from. This month is about starting those conversations.
As of recent research, someone dies by suicide every 11 minutes. Even more think about it or attempt it. Suicide affects everyone of any age and affects any group. Some groups have higher suicide rates than others. These rates vary depending on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability, etc… Even someone’s environment can play a factor.
Suicide is a very real thing and it impacts many individuals. Suicide is also preventable! Researchers are still trying to figure out what the signs are but we do know this: there needs to be more accessible resources available. And when I say accessible I mean in every sense: affordable for all, inclusive for all, and available to all, however that looks.
There’s a stigma around mental health and suicide that is slowly changing. We need to talk about mental health more because mental health affects us all. Even if you don’t struggle as intensely, everyone deals with mental health and it’s important to speak up about it even if you don’t think it’s anything serious.
One topic I wanted to bring awareness to this month is Disability & Mental Health, two topics no one really discusses. Talking about mental health is taboo, and talking about or including disability is even more taboo. Why do I think discussing disability and mental health is important? Well studies show that disabled adults experience mental distress 5X more often than adults without a disability, and they are 3X more likely to report suicidal ideation.
Mental health affects everyone differently and so talking about mental health is so so important! Open these conversations up in your home, in your relationships, and in your communities, etc… These conversations can be hard but they don’t have to be if we keep up the work to end the negative stigmas around mental health and suicide.
Even once this month is over (because it basically is. October is tomorrow!) keep looking out for signs in your loved ones, keep having those hard but necessary conversations, and keep being kind because it’s hard enough out here and being kind can go a long way!
Remember that We Are All Human and mental health affects us all!
Stay Thriving! 🤍
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