World Suicide Prevention Day

Suicide. A word that brings nothing good to my mind. A word that I wish was not in my vocabulary. It's a word no one likes to hear much less say, yet it's something that needs to be talked about more. It is a national health problem. And, like other diseases is no respecter of persons. People die from suicide just like any other organ disease, yet with this illness society tends to blame the victim. Imagine getting blamed for having cancer. The alarming statistics report that each year over 42,700 Americans die by suicide and with the stigma surrounding it the numbers are estimated to be higher due to underreporting. Men die by suicide 3.5 times more often than women. It's the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, however the 2nd leading cause of death for ages 10-24. In Alabama alone, it's the 3rd leading cause of deaths for the same ages. Untreated depression is the leading cause of suicide. It's also one of the leading causes of preventable death in the nation. Let me repeat that. Suicide is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the nation! Most struggling victims reach out to someone first, but because so many are unaware of the warning signs and unintentionally don't take them seriously, the cries for help sadly go unnoticed.

National Suicide Prevention Week started, September 5th this year and goes through the 11th with World Suicide Prevention Day, Saturday the 10th. The official website of World Suicide Prevention Day 2016 can be visited at iasp.info. Many people will light a candle at 8 p.m. to honor those that have lost their lives to suicide and hopefully remember the survivors by praying for them. I was unaware of this until it affected my family almost two years ago. In correlation with this year's theme, "Connect, Communicate, Care", I hope to connect and communicate with you that you are not alone, people care, and you can get help. What matter's most is you are loved by God and He cares! The great Physician can and will help heal your deep hurts. It's okay to not be okay! There are many other people that are experiencing or have experienced similar struggles, but because of the associated stigma and shame they may feel, many don't know what to do and suffer in silence. Instead of being just a surviving mother of teen suicide, I am trying to use my platform to thrive and help others so one less friend or family member will not have to experience this deep grief and heartbreak that impacts so many lives in its wake. You may know someone who is battling with depression or will be in the future and hopefully you can be informed to help them. 

If we're honest, so many people struggle daily in silence because:

 "Truth is harder than a lie, the dark seems safer than the Light and everyone has a heart that loves to hide, I'm a mess and so are you, we've built walls that nobody can get through, yeah, it may be hard, but the best thing we could ever do is bring your brokenness because love can heal what hurt divides...If We're Honest. (click to listen)

There are many advocates/foundations working on the front lines to help bring awareness and proper education to help those in crisis. Even though this information was not put in my path when I needed it, I want to pass it along. We can all learn from each other. I appreciate and would love to personally thank people who are trying to put others needs ahead of their own and are becoming better not bitter due to their hurt. Clark Flatt is one of those people and Nick Saban graciously used his clout to help him achieve his goals. Flatt has triumphed so to speak in turning his tragedy into the good of helping many others by trying to save lives. His 16 year old son became a statistic of the "Silent Epidemic" of youth suicide his website states. In trying to come to terms with what happened, he began researching youth suicide. Over 100 young people this week will become victims he writes and many times it can be prevented and that's what The Jason Foundation is all about. I personally learned of his story when watching the news last March (watch Nick Saban talk about youth suicide prevention and how 2 calls from Nick Saban kick-started legislation to prevent youth suicide). After some prompting from Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban, Governor Robert Bentley signed a bill into law making Alabama the 18th state to pass the "Jason Flatt Act" (Saban-backed suicide prevention bill becomes law in Alabama). The new law requires teachers seeking certification to go through additional suicide prevention training to equip them with information to help better identify and assist at-risk youth for suicide. I believe students need to be equipped as well or more so than teachers, and one way to start is by downloading the free app on The Jason Foundation website to educate youth (more below).

Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church and bestselling author, is another one of the many people making a big impact on mental health/suicide prevention. Warren's son died to suicide and he is now calling the church to begin a long road of clearing misconceptions about mental health and taking the plight of the suffering seriously. "I'm certainly not going to waste this pain," Warren said. "One of the things I believe is that God never wastes a hurt and that oftentimes your greatest ministry comes out of your deepest pain. I remember writing in my journal that in God's garden of grace, even broken trees bear fruit." In March of this year, Saddleback Church hosted The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church, which was a daylong event to raise awareness and spread information regarding the truth about mental illness and how the church can positively get involved. He says, "It's amazing to me that any other organ in your body can break down and there's no shame and stigma to it, but if your brain breaks down, you're supposed to keep it a secret" (relevantmagazine.com, "Rick Warren Says the Church Needs to Get Serious About Mental Health"). Rick's wife Kay Warren is also an advocate to suicide prevention and has turned her pain into trying to inform and help others. You can follow her on Twitter (@KayWarren1) and visit her website (kaywarren.com).

Anthem of Hope (anthemofhope.org) is a non-profit orgainization devoted to helping those battling brokenness, depression, self-harm, suicide and addiction find hope through community and support. This group is dedicated to providing multiple avenues of support for those in need. Their 24/7 crisis line and mobile application are only two of the many ways they plan to provide help to those in need. You can follow them on Twitter
@anthemofhope. 

Jamie Tworkowski is another advocate of suicide prevention. In an article titled, "It's Time to Remove the Mental Health Stigma," in Relevant Magazine (relevantmagazine.com) he discusses why World Suicide Prevention Day matters. The writer of the article states that the tragedy of someone taking his or her own life is multiplying. For those of us who believe God made people in His image, this is a crisis. Tworkowski has spent the last decade trying to fight this crisis. He's the founder of the global non-profit, To Write Love on Her Arms, and the best-selling author of "If You Feel Too Much." Each year they build a campaign around a statement: Two years ago it was "No one else can play your part," and last year it was "We'll see you tomorrow." This year their campaign is based on a statement from a book called *Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig. Essentially, they're inviting people to finish the sentence, "I kept living because _______."  You can follow Jamie on Twitter (@jamietworkowski) and read the full article to find out more. 

A book I was given not long after my son passed away entitled "Melissa", written by Frank S. Page, President of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, was so helpful. Even though painful at times, his story and the courage he had to share his story has helped me tremendously and many others as well. The book has letters sprinkled throughout written to someone who might be considering suicide. He also shares a helpful video message on suicide and depression on his website (frankpage.org).

I am grateful God has put these people and stories in my path to help me on my journey. Maybe, in Heaven one day soon, I will be able to thank some of them.

In the wake of National Suicide Prevention week, I came across an uplifting article posted on Twitter by yellowhammernews.com/faithandculture (click to read) about an Alabamian sharing his suicide survival story. I hope it encourages you or someone you know that there is life beyond depression and help can be found.

Like I mentioned above, what matters most is God's love towards you. Choose to believe God loves you! If you are a Christian, a born-again believer, it's very important to see yourself the way God sees you. Your view of yourself will determine your future. You are part of God's plan and He has a purpose for you. "Long before He laid down the Earth's foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love" (Ephesians 1:4 MSG). 

As Rick Warren states in Daily Hope -This is How God Feels About You, "God looks at you and He loves you simply because He made you. The Bible says that the entire universe was created simply so God could create the human race so He could love us. We are the focus of His love, unlike anything else in creation. We were created to be loved by God. If you ever grasp the profound truth just shared and let it sink into your soul, you will never again have a problem with insecurity or low self-esteem. Because when you realize that God created the entire universe just so He could create the conditions so that human beings could exist so He could create you and love you, it will take away all those feelings of insecurity. God created you in order to love you. The most important thing you can know is that truth. And the most important thing you can do in life is to know and love Him back. That's the number one purpose in life. The tragedy is most people go through their entire life missing the purpose of it. They know all kinds of things - stock quotes, sports scores, who's on the cover of People magazine - but they don't know God. You may know about God, but do you know Him personally?" 

Do you have a friendship, a love relationship with God's Son, Jesus Christ? If you don't, that is the most important choice you will make. Turn towards Him and He will show you your purpose and worth. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

 "You make your choices, your choices make you."-Jack Graham

Choose to serve the Lord (not self, like we're all prone to do).

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." 

Joshua 24:15

*I'm not familiar with the contents of the book mentioned above, Reasons to Stay Alive, but because I believe in the living God who is the Creator of life, the reason to live is to to glorify Jesus Christ (life is not about me)! "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..."

Acts 16:31

I encourage you to research The Jason Foundation website at www.jasonfoundation.com, read his story, learn how and where to get help,and how you can become more informed to possibly help someone else. Download the free app on your phone, (a great tool for young ones and teens) which explains how to "get help now", "how to help a friend", "warning signs", and "resources for help". Because suicide is now part of my story, I feel with the proper education of teachers, students, and parents, many can be prevented. Much has been done, but there is still more to do and educating students and their peers about this growing crisis is key. Share this with a friend and maybe you can possibly help a friend in need.