Agency recognizes Suicide Prevention Month

Editor's note: If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm, call or text the 988 Lifeline. NORWALK — Huron County Public Health is joining numerous organizations across the county that are recognizing Suicide Prevention Month this September. Suicidal thoughts, like mental health conditions, can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or background. While they may be common, they should never be seen as normal. Often, they signal deep emotional pain or an underlying mental health concern that deserves understanding, care and professional support. Yet, suicide is unfortunately still too often met with silence, stigma, or shame. However, suicide is a public health concern that cannot be ignored, as it is one of the leading causes of deaths across the United States and in Ohio. According to the Ohio Department of Health's 2023 Ohio Suicide Report, suicide was the second-leading cause of death among Ohioans ages 10-14 and 20-34 and the 12th leading cause of death in Ohio overall. According to the same report, Huron County's average age-adjusted rate of suicide death was reported as 19.4 per 100,000 population. The good news? Suicide is preventable. You can help change the narrative surrounding suicide in our community. Combining knowledge, care, and compassion can make a real impact. Knowing the warning signs and recognizing ways to help could be lifesaving for someone you know. Warning Signs and How to Help The behaviors listed below may be some of the signs that someone is thinking about suicide: • Talking about wanting to die, great guilt or shame or being a burden to others. • Feeling empty, hopeless, trapped or having no reason to live. • Feeling extremely sad, more anxious, agitated or full of rage. • Feeling unbearable emotional or physical pain. • Changing behavior, such as: - Making a plan or researching ways to die. - Withdrawing from friends, saying goodbye, giving away important items, or making a will. - Taking dangerous risks such as driving extremely fast. - Displaying extreme mood swings. - Eating or sleeping more or less. - Using drugs or alcohol more often. If you think someone you know might be considering suicide, be the one to help them by taking these five steps: 1. Ask: "Are you thinking about suicide?" 2. Be there: Listen without judgment and acknowledge their feelings. 3. Help keep them safe: Reduce their access to lethal means by locking guns, medications, and other potentially dangerous household items. 4. Help them connect: Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 offers 24/7 judgment-free support for mental health, substance use, and more. 5. Follow-Up: Stay in touch to see how they're doing. Suicide Prevention Efforts at Huron County Public Health Thanks to funding awarded to Huron County Public Health through the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant offered by the Ohio Department of Health, Huron County Public Health is currently focused on preventing suicide through three initiatives: 1. Reducing Access to Lethal Means: Huron County Public Health encourages individuals to practice safe storage of medications, firearms and other household products to reduce the risk for suicide by separating individuals at elevated risk of suicide from easy access to lethal means. Since March 2024, 687 safes and 567 gun locks have been distributed to the community. Stay tuned to Huron County Public Health's social media pages @HuronCoHealth for information on upcoming distribution events coming this fall. 2. Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) Training: CALM is a suicide prevention program designed to reduce access to lethal means in times of crisis. This June, Huron County Public Health coordinated a CALM training for Fisher-Titus staff. Huron County Public Health is currently looking for additional healthcare organizations in the community that would be interested in CALM Training. 3. Signs of Suicide Programming: Signs of Suicide is a universal, school-based suicide prevention program that uses education to modify behavior in middle and high-school students. The program is designed to increase understanding that major depression is an illness, improve awareness of the link between suicide and depression, improve attitudes toward intervention with peers showing signs of depression and suicidal ideation, and increase help-seeking behavior for students personally experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts. Huron County Public Health has purchased licenses for a few local school districts so far, with plans to implement programming in schools this fall. Prevention Coalition of Huron County Huron County Public Health also facilitates the Prevention Coalition of Huron County, which is focused on preventing drug/alcohol use and suicide among youth. Individuals interested in supporting this work can contact Huron County Public Health's prevention grant coordinator, Paige Snyder, at psnyder@huroncohealth.com. Resources This Suicide Prevention Month, Huron County Public Health encourages residents to read and share important mental health and suicide prevention resources, like the ones listed below: • 988 Lifeline: 988lifeline.org • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/suicide/prevention/index.html • National Institute of Mental Health: nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: samhsa.gov/mental-health/suicidal-behavior/prevention • Man Therapy: mantherapy.org • Life Side Ohio: lifesideohio.org