Suicide prevention is missing the mark. Suicide prevention is dancing around a major issue, which is how Americans deal with grief. This is the crux of the epidemic. America is running from feeling of grief and we need to stop, cry, and face our past losses. If you know someone that is suicidal, what would happen if you said, “Suicide is about finding a way to grieve your losses, its not about what’s wrong with you. I want to hear how you are surviving without…..?”.
We are facing so many losses as a culture. The younger generation is losing their ancestors due to COVID. I feel this is one of the driving forces of the uptick in the suicide in youth. Loss is something that is often avoided, if a family avoids speaking about loss, then the loss may speak on its own in suicidal behaviors.
Protective factors are important, how we communicate is important, resiliency skills are important, but these acts are specific communication tools for loss that the person can not put into words. As a culture we must learn to grieve in a healthy way by talking about loss to each other versus walking away from it.
What if there were more grief counselors in this world? This is the place to begin healing the suicide epidemic in our culture.
If your hurting, reach out: Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK
Author: Carol Coussons de Reyes, MS, Certified Peer Specialist
