You are not alone. There are many people who have lost loved ones to suicide, and there are resources available to help you cope with your grief.
suicide / suicide prevention
Ask a Social Worker: My son is threatening suicide
My son dropped out of college and is threatening to commit suicide. We called a hotline and they suggested family therapy. But my partner, his father, doesn’t believe him.
Wealth and fame are no protection from suicide
The deaths by suicide of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and world-famous fashion designer Kate Spade in 2018 surprised many. How could people so successful and at the top of their careers die in such a way?
Suicide Risks Among LGBTQ Youth
By Dave Reynolds, M.P.H. (Advocacy and Education Manager, The Trevor Project) and Phoenix Schneider, M.S.W. (Program Director, The Trevor Project) Q: Are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth more likely to attempt suicide than other youth,...
Preventing Suicide in LGBTQ+ Youth
By Katherine van Wormer, MSSW, PhD Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth often wrestle with issues related to their sexual orientation, which they dare not share with the adults in their lives.They hear biased remarks and cruel jokes. They read...
Explaining Suicide to Children
By Lauren Schneider, MSW, LCSW Introduction For very young children For adolescents Introduction One of the most challenging types of loss a bereavement counselor or therapist will be faced with is that of a family dealing with a death by suicide. Each...
When Grief Turns to Thoughts of Suicide
By Lynn Purnell Hagan, PsyD, LCSW Caregiver stress has been widely publicized and studied. Many times, one might think that the stress of caregiving is lifted once the loved one has died. However, the risks to the caregiver can often carry on long after their loved...
Springtime Spike in Depression, Suicide Threats Expected
By Ryan Stutzman Local Mental Health Authority Says Local Trend Is Counterintuitive One said she was going to kill herself with the gun she had in her hand. Another said she was going to cut her wrists with a knife. One teen boy made suicidal statements to his...
Suicide Warning Signs and Prevention Tips
By Julie Niven, MSW, LCSW, DCSW NOTE: Ms. Julie Niven is social worker practicing in the Bering Straits region of Alaska. Introduction – Suicide from the Alaska Perspective It's a sad fact that suicide is common within every state of our nation. According to...
Spotting the Warning Signs of Teen Suicide
Teenage Suicide Warning Signs The National Association of Social Workers views the current high rate of child and adolescent suicide as a national tragedy. Young people with the following risk factors may be at risk: Genetic susceptibility Previous family history of...
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Recent Articles
During the Shutdown, Federal Employees Need Time to Relax and Regroup
As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history lingers, many workers may be wondering how to make ends meet and use the downtime wisely By Faye Beard In the last 50 years, the U.S. government has shut down 23 times, according to the Harvard Kennedy School. At this...
Queer People Should Have Queer Friendships
By Faye Beard Feeling connected may be more important now than ever. For queer people, those connections are potentially life-saving. Last year, the Trevor Project’s U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People showed the link between anti-LGBTQ+...
Surviving Survival Mode
By Faye Beard Flight, fight, freeze and fawn are the body’s common psychological responses to stress, experts say. Survival mode, according to the Mental Health Association in Delaware, is a “prolonged state of stress and is marked by both mental and physical...