Facing Suicide

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Narrator

Caregivers and scientists seek to stop preventable tragedies that strike every day. Others focus on public health strategies that keep people from ever considering suicide to begin with. Everyone engaged in the fight agrees about the importance of one thing, seeing the signs of a suicide before it occurs. The biggest sign to look out for is, if they're just not themselves. I mean, if you can definitely tell that they're acting different, they're not talking as much, they're kind of isolating themselves. That means now they're really in their rooms, right? They're really locking themselves off. All the things that used to bring them joy don't bring them the same level of joy. And at all times, they might begin to express, and this is important, "I'm fine. I'm fine." Anybody talking about a sense of being hopeless, like there's no hope anymore for them, there's no future for them, or that there's no purpose for them to be alive, no reason for them. They don't have anything left to contribute to their family, to their friends, to society, or to the world. -

Coach

All right, good hit, yeah! The community has a role to play in preventing suicide. Teachers have eyes on our youth for more hours of the day than probably most other adults. Parents know their kids and their kids' patterns of behavior, what makes them tick. Coaches are around our kids. You can come around that individual with greater attention to what they may be going through and to remind them that they are loved, they're worthy, there is help, there's a way through any challenge.