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Fall 2023: Let's get down to business
Fall 2023: Let's get down to business
There is so much to look forward to in the fall months: the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the first cool day, fall foliage, Halloween and all the foods regardless of your passion for pumpkin spice.
However, fall is also packed with the excitement and stress of the beginning of the school year, class assignments, teacher expectations, etc. It is also full of important days in which we honor important topics. These include suicide awareness and prevention, mental health awareness, and Coming Out Day.
TRIGGER WARNING:
Below you will find information on Suicide Awareness which is recognized and promoted in the month of September.
Much of the information related to suicide below can be found here: https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Youth-Suicide
Please tune into the Trevor Project video below regarding suicide, teens and the LGBTQ community.
Lastly, our Resources page can assist you in locating help in your community. If you have any questions, please come visit us in the guidance suite.
WHY WE TAKE IT SO SERIOUSLY
WHY WE TAKE IT SO SERIOUSLY
Suicidal thoughts are common among teens and young adults. In fact, about 11% of young adults (ages 18-25) report that they’ve had serious thoughts about suicide, and about 1–2% report a suicide attempt during the prior year. These numbers are higher among high school students — nearly 20% report serious thoughts about suicide and 9% report a suicide attempt. Among young adults 15–24 years old in the U.S., the rate of death by suicide in 2019 was about 14 per 100,000 people — slightly higher than one suicide for every 10,000 people in this age group.
These numbers are frightening, but there is also hope — if we can identify and support young people who are experiencing mental health symptoms, including thinking about suicide, we have an opportunity to help prevent tragedy. There is a large gap between the number of young people thinking about suicide (about 1 in 10) and the number who die by suicide (1 in 10,000). In other words, there are 1,000 young people currently struggling with the idea of ending their life for each young person lost to suicide. Most importantly, that means that there are 1,000 opportunities to provide understanding and support to those experiencing difficulties.
Certain groups of youth such as those in the Black, Hispanic/LatinX and LGBTQ communities are at the highest risk of suicide.
COMMON RISK FACTORS
COMMON RISK FACTORS
Anyone who is having serious or continuing thoughts of suicide, having impulses to self-harm or making plans for suicide needs to be connected to care and support services.
There are quite a few things that have been associated with increased risk for suicide:
Prior suicide attempts
Family history of suicide
History of mental health conditions such as severe depression, anxiety disorders and psychotic disorders
Substance misuse
Impulsivity or aggressiveness
Serious family problems
Breakups or other major relationship losses
Access to means for self-harm (unsecured firearms, prescription medications, poisons)
Social isolation
History of traumatic experiences such as sexual violence or severe episodes of racial prejudice/violence, bullying
Lack of access to mental health care
Multiple exposures to suicide in one’s community or through unsafe coverage of suicide in the media
While the risk factors noted above might increase someone’s long term risk for suicide, there are several things that might indicate that the person’s thoughts of suicide are escalating or that there is more acute risk:
Talking, joking or posting online about dying or life not being worth living
Feelings of hopelessness, shame or of being a burden to others
Extreme sadness, anger or irritability
Extreme feelings of emotional pain
Planning or researching ways to die
Withdrawal from others, saying or posting “goodbye” messages, giving away possessions
Erratic or disorganized behavior
Changes in substance use
Seeking means to self-harm
COMMON PROTECTIVE FACTORS
COMMON PROTECTIVE FACTORS
There are many factors that can also help to protect someone against suicidal ideation or behavior that include:
Effective coping and problem-solving skills
Strong social and family connections
Access to quality mental health care
Support from religious or social communities
Lack of access to means to self-harm
WHO CAN HELP?
WHO CAN HELP?
You
Guidance Team
Family
Doctor
Therapist (if one is already in treatment)
Support Hotline: Call or Text 988
Emergency Room of your nearest hospital
WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT YOURSELF OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE
WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT YOURSELF OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE
If someone you care about is showing some of the risk factors noted above, the first thing to try is having a conversation with them to express your concern. It is best if you can do this in person — face to face — and in a quiet, private place.
Explain why you are concerned about your friend and tell them what you have observed. The more specific and clear you can be the better. For example:
“You seem sad all the time and have stopped communicating with your friends.”
“You always seem very tired and distracted.”
“You are posting really scary messages on social media.”
Tell them you are worried and let them know they can talk to you if they are experiencing a problem. It can feel awkward to ask about this, but it could be the encouragement they need to be able to open up about what they are experiencing. Remember that it is not your responsibility to try to solve their problem or fix the situation. Listening patiently and asking them to tell you more will help you understand what your friend might need.
The most urgent information to find out when you speak to a friend about their mental or emotional distress is whether they are at risk of self-harm. If they have already told you or someone else that they are thinking about hurting themselves, or posted about it on social media, then the next step is getting them connected to help.
If Your Friend Does Not Seem to Be in Immediate Risk of Harm
Once you know how your friend is feeling, ask if they have any ideas for what might help. You can ask if they are taking steps to get help from family, friends or professionals. If you are comfortable, and they are open to it, you can offer to check in again with them sometime soon to see how they are doing and whether the situation is improving or getting worse.
Think about how you might feel if you were in a similar situation and what might be helpful to you. Remember that you don’t need to solve the problem. Often, just being open to listening and being supportive is helpful.
If Your Friend Tells You They Are Having Thoughts of Self-Harm
First, do not agree to keep it a secret — even if they don’t want anyone else to know, it is important to get help if you are truly afraid that they will hurt themselves. Getting help could involve letting their family know about the crisis, unless you have a clear reason to think that will make things worse (for example, they have shared that their parents do not support them or they have been mistreated or experienced rejection at home). If you are at college or a boarding school, let the campus crisis team, residence life staff or counseling service know you are worried about your friend.
If you feel the problem is urgent and serious, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If there is immediate danger to your friend or others, you should either try to take them to a local hospital emergency service or call 911.
If you can, and you feel safe doing so, try to stay with them until they have gotten help and you know they are safe. This can be especially important if your friend is dangerously intoxicated, or if they are experiencing serious mental health symptoms, like psychosis. Whatever steps you take, know that you are not alone.
Your support could make a huge difference for your friend — but in a crisis, you can count on crisis support lines, first responders, health care providers and others to manage this difficult situation together. It’s also important to let an adult you trust know what is going on so they can help you support your friend.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO PREVENT IT?
We know that prevention starts with you!
Identify a person you would feel comfortable talking with should you or a friend ever feel this way.
Tell that person if you or a friend ever feel this way.
Have a plan to manage stress in healthy ways (e.g. create a routine, SLEEP!!!, breathe, color/draw, exercise, connect with a therapist...there is no shortage of healthy coping skills to use and if you need some ideas, please come visit us in guidance or participate in the collective coping activities we have throughout the year!)
***Below you will find information about some of these coping skills and how you can successfully use them to combat symptoms of depression, anxiety and additional mental health issues that increase your being at risk for suicidality.***
CREATING A ROUTINE
CREATING A ROUTINE
It has been said that humans are creatures of habit, and while we like moments of spontaneity and surprise, we feel comfortable when we know what to expect and can follow a plan or schedule.
According to Ramon Solhkhah, M.D., chair, Department of Psychiatry, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, “While many of us complain about how busy our schedules are, it represents expectations and patterns that are an important component of good mental health.” He continues, “The pandemic has left many people feeling adrift because those daily routines that were essential to us before the COVID-19 crisis have evaporated and been replaced by uncertainty and a lack of structure that can contribute to stress, anxiety and even clinical depression.”
Why routines are important:
They create structure – A daily routine often begins with the alarm clock ringing to start our day, and the routines follow from there with showering, brushing our teeth, dressing and grabbing coffee on the way to the office.
They give us a sense of accomplishment – Routines typically have a beginning and an end, and we plan our day and time around being able to prioritize them and accomplish the most important tasks of the day for ourselves and our families.
They let us know how we are doing – Even small routines like showering, brushing our teeth, and dressing are important parts of our day. Since the pandemic, many of us have taken a more liberal approach to those daily routines, such as working from home in sweatpants that were once reserved for weekends. Although this change is subtle, it can have a big impact, making you feel sluggish or lazy.
They let people around us know how we are doing – Routines also are indications to people around us of how we are doing. Before the pandemic, if you didn’t show up for work people would worry, or if you didn’t come out of your house for weeks friends would look in on you or be concerned about your well-being. With no routine, there are a lot of unknowns that can cause concern or anxiety.
Routines, even simple ones, can be important anchors to maintaining good mental health and dealing with anxiety during the pandemic. Dr. Solhkhah noted, “Routines can create a positive level of stress that keeps us focused and may avoid some of the depression that many people may experience as a result of the COVID pandemic, isolation, fear and uncertainty. I recommend creating and maintaining routines that you can follow even in quarantine that will help reduce the mental health impact of what we are experiencing.”
Simple routines to organize your day include:
Wake up the same time every day
Shower as if you were going out
Dress for the day (even in casual and comfortable attire)
Eat meals at regular times
Keep to a daily schedule of exercise
Limit your use of electronic devices or TV time
Go to bed at the same time each night
In addition to your regular routine, try including new activities that can become a healthy part of your daily routine. Try adding some deep breathing exercises to your day which can be relaxing, or consider trying meditation that can be calming and improve your resilience.
*Taken from Hackensackmeridianhealth.org in article Why Routines are Important for Mental Health by Larry Ginsberg. Link in title.
SLEEP
SLEEP
As noted on Columbia University's Department of Psychiatry webpage: "Not getting enough sleep or poor-quality sleep can increase risk for mental health disorders. While insomnia can be a symptom of psychiatric disorders, like anxiety and depression, it is now recognized that sleep problems can also contribute to the onset and worsening of different mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation.
Sleep deprivation studies show that otherwise healthy people can experience increased anxiety and distress levels following poor sleep. Those with mental health disorders are even more likely to experience chronic sleep problems and, in turn, these sleep problems are likely to exacerbate psychiatric symptoms and even increase risk for suicide. The good news is that there are ways to improve sleep quality and quantity, so identifying and addressing sleep problems is critical to alleviating the severity of psychiatric disorders.
Tips for creating healthy sleep habits and improving sleep
Tips for creating healthy sleep habits and improving sleep
Try to keep a consistent sleep schedule, waking up around the same time even on weekends.
Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep. However, don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine that helps to transition from your day.
If you’re having trouble falling asleep, don’t lie in bed awake. If you can’t get to sleep, get out of bed, and do something relaxing until you feel tired.
Create a healthy sleep environment– avoid bright lights and loud sounds, keep the room at a comfortable cool temperature, and try to limit electronics in your bedroom.
Exercise regularly (but not within the few hours before going to bed).
Avoid caffeine and nicotine late in the day and limit alcoholic drinks before bed.
The article, Sleep Better at Every Age in the New York Times as well as Sleep Foundation also provides you with tips on how you can improve your sleep.
SKILLS
DIVERSIONS:
DIVERSIONS:
Write, draw, paint, photography;
Play an instrument, sing, dance, act;
Take a shower or a bath;
Garden;
Take a walk
Watch television or a movie;
Watch cute kitten videos on YouTube;
Play a game;
Clean or organize your environment;
Read;
SOCIAL/INTERPERSONAL COPING
SOCIAL/INTERPERSONAL COPING
Talk to someone you trust;
Set boundaries and say “no”;
Use humor;
Spend time with friends and/or family;
Serve someone in need;
Encourage others
COGNITIVE COPING
COGNITIVE COPING
Lower your expectations of the situation;
Keep an inspirational quote with you;
Be flexible;
Write a list of goals;
Write a list of pros and cons for decisions;
Reward or pamper yourself when successful;
Write a list of strengths;
Accept a challenge with a positive attitude.
TENSION RELEASERS
TENSION RELEASERS
Exercise or play sports;
Cry;
Laugh.
PHYSICAL
PHYSICAL
Get enough sleep;
Eat healthy foods;
Get into a good routine;
Practice deep/slow breathing.
SPIRITUAL
SPIRITUAL
Pray or meditate;
Enjoy nature;
Get involved in a worthy cause.
LIMIT SETTING
LIMIT SETTING
Drop some involvement;
Prioritize important tasks;
Use assertive communication;
Schedule time for yourself.
Join Bronx Science's GSA and Guidance on Wednesday October 11, 2023 to honor Coming Out Day.
Where can resources for those considering coming out be found?
Where can resources for those considering coming out be found?
The Human Rights Campaign has created a comprehensive Resource Guide to Coming Out, which discusses how the conversation might go, how those involved might feel, and what benefits might be gained from coming out.
Similarly, The Coming Out Handbook can be found on thetrevorproject.org or by clicking the underlined.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY
Contribute to the Human Rights Campaign
This organization not only sponsors NCOD, but also dedicates itself to fighting for LGBTQ+ equality in many ways. It’s a worthy cause to support!Support someone coming out
No way around it - coming out can be a difficult experience. Be an ally by accepting those that choose to share this part of their lives with you. If you yourself are on the fence about whether or not to share that important bit of your identity, consider taking advantage of the extra love today and make the leap, if the time is right for you.Don a Pride symbol to raise awareness
The symbolic representations of the different groups encompassed in the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ can be a very welcome sight to see for some who feel discriminated against or alone. Raise awareness of the movements by donning a pin or waving a flag, or post your support on a social media platform that you feel comfortable with!
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