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Are you or a loved one considering suicide?
You are not alone, and suicide is preventable. In 2021, 1,766 people died by suicide in Ohio. At SUN Behavioral Health Columbus, we solve unmet needs in our community. Experiencing suicidal thoughts may have you questioning why you feel the way you do. They may come anytime during the day or night or on weekends or holidays when many places are closed. Our crisis care offers 24/7 admission, allowing you to receive the care you need in the moment you decide to seek help before you change your mind. At SUN Behavioral Health Columbus, we offer treatment for suicidal thoughts.
Suicide is when someone dies from an injury caused by oneself. A suicide attempt happens when someone chooses to harm themselves with the intention to die, but something or someone interferes and the person survives. Suicidal ideation or suicidal thoughts are when someone is considering dying by suicide. These thoughts may include plans, or they could be considerations. Often, people who experience suicidal thoughts feel like they have no way out of the pain or difficult situations in their lives. They may view suicide as a solution to end the painful emotions, situations, or thoughts they are experiencing. However, professional help is available at SUN Columbus, and suicide is still preventable.
Experiencing suicidal thoughts can be overwhelming and terrifying, and trying to manage them on your own can be highly challenging. However, help is always available. Connecting with a professional to teach you coping skills can make thoughts of suicide more manageable. Having someone you can discuss these thoughts with can allow you to find the strength you have inside to recover. These people might be mental health professionals like counselors or people already in your life like close friends or family members. Creating a support network of people you can reach out to that you know will listen without judgment can lessen the emotions and pain you are going through with time. Suicidal thoughts are temporary, and finding recovery is possible.
When someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts, the best way to cope is by participating in treatment. Often, this will include psychotherapy, medications, or a combination of both. At SUN Behavioral Health Columbus, our mental health services offer inpatient and outpatient programming for those who are experiencing suicidal ideation. Our team works with you, your doctors, and any assessments you have done to determine the best treatment plan for your specific needs.
At SUN Behavioral Health Columbus, suicidal ideation is treated by combining cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). CBT helps you identify specific challenges in your life and gives you the skills necessary to cope with those challenges. These skills may include relaxation, coping, resilience, assertiveness, and stress management. DBT helps you change unhealthy thoughts or behaviors into healthy ones. It will often include skills such as mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance.
At SUN Behavioral Health Columbus, you will also have a variety of groups, such as processing and goal groups. These groups may discuss boundaries, communication, and time management. You may also participate in recreational therapy during your time here. Your treatment plan is determined based on your current symptoms, doctor, previous treatment history, and any completed assessments. Treatment can include inpatient and/or outpatient services.
Often, the first step for many people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts is inpatient programming. This level of care can help stabilize and keep you safe while receiving treatment for suicidal ideation. SUN Behavioral Health Columbus offers inpatient mental health and crisis care for adults, adolescents, and children. Typically, the length of stay at our inpatient care is 7-14 days.
Once you are stable, you will move on to outpatient care. At SUN Behavioral Health Columbus, we offer two outpatient levels. The time you will spend in each level of care will vary depending on your treatment plan and specific needs. It may also lengthen or shorten depending on your process. There is no race to recover from suicidal thoughts, and everyone recovers at their own pace.
The highest level of outpatient we offer for suicidal thoughts is our partial hospitalization program (PHP). PHP is available for adults and adolescents at SUN Behavioral Health Columbus and runs Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM until 2:30 PM. People who are undergoing PHP treatment will learn how to cope with suicidal thoughts and manage their own time.
The lowest level of outpatient care we offer is our intensive outpatient program (IOP). Like PHP, IOP is available for adults and adolescents at SUN Behavioral Health Columbus. This program runs three hours a day, Monday through Friday. We also offer an evening IOP for adults, which involves 3-hour sessions 3 times weekly. This level of care is a step down from PHP, and people in this program will continue to build upon their PHP treatment.
If you believe your loved one may have suicidal thoughts, there are 5 easy steps you can take: ask, be there, help keep them safe, help them connect, and follow up. Remember, before anything, remain calm when you discuss your concerns with them. Discussing suicide will not encourage them or give them the idea that they should attempt to die by suicide. Point out to them the warning signs and risk factors you’ve noticed in them and ask them if they have been thinking about suicide. Stay with your loved ones and listen to them without judgment. Show them you care, allowing and accepting them to express their emotions.
Never debate or lecture them on whether suicide is right or wrong. Instead, offer alternatives and hope. Remove any object they might have access to that could be used in an attempt to die by suicide. It is also important not to promise that you will keep their thoughts of suicide a secret. Instead, seek support and offer them places they can go to get help. Afterwards, continue to follow up with them. Following up with them will show them you care and are there for them.
There are many reasons someone might experience thoughts of suicide. One of the most common causes of suicidal ideation is depression, but not everyone with depression will experience suicidal ideation. Also, not everyone who experiences suicidal ideation will have depression. They might feel like they are in a situation that seems impossible to escape. When someone feels like they have no way out of the circumstances they are experiencing, they may begin to consider suicide as their only solution. Sometimes, people may be more genetically likely to die by suicide as they may have a family history associated with it.
Several risk factors may lead to someone considering to die by suicide. These factors may be individual, relationship, community, or societal. Individual risk factors may include:
However, individual risk factors are not the only reasons someone might die by suicide. Relationship risk factors such as bullying, family history of suicide, high-conflict relationships, and social isolation can result in someone having a higher risk. The community can also play a role. Community factors may include a lack of access to healthcare, community violence, or discrimination. Finally, society as a whole can lead to someone having a higher risk of dying by suicide. Some of these factors may include stigma surrounding asking for help when it comes to a mental health concern or ease of access to lethal methods of suicide.
While having many of these risk factors can increase one’s chances of deciding to die by suicide, they do not guarantee the person will consider it. Having open conversations with your loved ones who are at a higher risk will not put the idea into their heads, and if they are considering dying by suicide, discussing these risks and offering resources can save their life.
Suicide is preventable because there are often warning signs that someone will show before the suicide attempt occurs. For example, some people may begin talking or thinking about being a burden to those around them, while others may talk about feeling trapped or having unbearable pain.
They may start or become isolated and express feelings of hopelessness. Increased symptoms of anxiety, anger, and mood swings are also common. People who are considering dying by suicide will often talk or post on social media about wanting to die, or they may make plans for suicide, which could include looking for ways to access lethal methods.
Youths may have the above signs before they attempt to die by suicide, but they can also express different warning signs. For example, they may talk about making plans or express hopelessness about the future, but they can also have behavior changes alongside other warning signs. These may include changes in social connections, sleep, or other out-of-character behaviors.
People who die by suicide may use several methods. However, some methods are more common for men, while others are more common for women. The differences may be due to the cultural expectations of each gender, leading men to choose more violent and lethal methods, while women may be likely to select less lethal methods as a way to ask for help.
Men are more likely to use the following methods:
While women are more likely to use these methods:
While these are the most common methods of dying by suicide for each specific gender, someone who is considering dying by suicide may use any method regardless.
Preventing suicide is possible, and individuals with suicidal thoughts are not alone. Numerous strategies and approaches can intervene and prevent someone from dying by suicide. Keep in mind that discussing suicide with a loved one will not plant the idea in their head, and by having an open conversation about suicide, you can save their life and guide them in the direction of getting treatment. At SUN Behavioral Health Columbus, we are here to help you or a loved one regain stability surrounding suicidal ideation and provide you with the proper resources and treatment that will allow you to find recovery.
Suicidal ideation is any thoughts you might have that involve harming yourself to die by suicide. They may be passive thoughts, or they could be associated with a plan.
Not necessarily. While the majority of people who have thoughts of suicide also have depression or another mental health condition, it is not always the case. Thoughts of suicide may be associated with situational circumstances in their personal life that are not associated with depression.
First, talk with your loved one with care and without judgment. Discuss with your loved one in a calm manner the concerns you have, and do not lecture them about whether suicide is right or wrong. Talking about suicide will not put the idea into their heads if they are not already considering it. Remove any objects they could use to harm themselves, and offer suggestions of places they can go for help. Remember to follow up with them afterward, as this can show them you care and are willing to be there for them.
SUN Behavioral Health Columbus solves unmet needs in Columbus, OH. Our partnership with Janus Pharmacy allows patients to continue taking their medications after completing treatment with us. Call us today at 614-706-2786 if you want to get started on treatment or for more information.
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