DEPRESSION AWARENESS

AND

SUICIDE PREVENTION

Health Science I

Mental Health Unit

What is depression?

Having the blues

vs.

Clinical depression

Having the blues vs. depression

Having the blues

• Normal and healthy after certain events

Clinical Depression

•A medical illness caused by chemical imbalance in the brain

•It lasts longer than 2 weeks

•It leaves a person unable to function in several areas of their lives (school, home, job, social life)

•It is not a choice, it is an illness with a biological cause (just like Diabetes, Heart Disease, etc)

Symptoms of Depression

•Depressed mood most of the day

•Loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy

•Change in appetite and/or significant change in weight

•Change in sleep patterns

•Body movements seem to be in slow motion

•Fatigue and loss of energy

•Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness

•Trouble concentrating

•Frequent thoughts of death

Depression affects you in three main ways

The way your body works:

•Loss of energy

•Sleep

•Eating habits

•Recurring headaches, backaches, or stomachaches

Depression affects you in three main ways

The way you act:

•Avoiding friends

•Using drugs/alcohol to escape feelings

•Loss of interest in things that used to be fun

•Attempting suicide

Depression affects you in three main ways:

The way you think:

•Difficult to concentrate, remember things, or make decisions

•May be planning how to commit suicide

Links between suicide, mental illness and

substance abuse

•Q: Of those that commit suicide, what percentage of them have a mental illness or a substance abuse problem?

•A: 90%

•What do you think are the most common mental illnesses associated with suicide?

•A: Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Risk Factors for Suicide

•Personal family history of depression, substance abuse, and/or suicide

•Abuse- always being teased, bullied, or experiencing physical or sexual abuse

•Problems with your relationships – school, work, or home

•Loss of a loved one

•Stress of a new situation

•Lack of social support

•Easy access to lethal means

Protective Factors

•Strong connections to family and friends

•Strong connections to school

•Strong skills such as problem solving, conflict resolution, and anger management

•Access to health care

•Beliefs that discourage suicide (religious, spiritual, cultural)

•Limited access to lethal means

Warning Signs

•Cleaning or giving away personal times, or returning borrowed items

•Threatening to hurt or kill self

•Talking about wanting to hurt or kill self

•Looking for means to kill (guns, etc)

•Talking about writing about death, suicide, or dying when it is out of the ordinary for that person

HOW TO HELP:

•There are no right or wrong things you can say if you are speaking out of love & concern. Just be yourself.

•A suicidal person usually is carrying around some burden that they feel they just can’t handle anymore. Just offer to listen.

•Be sympathetic, non-judgmental, patient, calm, accepting

•Don’t be afraid to ask, “Are you having thoughts of suicide?” You are not putting ideas in their head. This will give you some valuable information about how to proceed in helping him/her.

How To Help (continued)

• If the answer is yes, ask these three questions:

1. Have you thought about how you would do it?

2. Do you have what you need to carry out your plan?

3. Do you know when you will do it?

Remember to:

• Keep them talking

• Avoid trying to offer quick solutions or belittling the persons feelings

HOW TO HELP (continued)

•If the person has already started a suicide attempt, call for help immediately

•If you are in a situation—such as an online friendship—when you know very little about the person, encourage them to call 911 on their own or to call a suicide hotline in their area.

•Dealing with a suicide threat is very stressful. Seek assistance to decompress afterwards.

•If all your attempts fail, don’t blame yourself. You did all that you could. This person ultimately made their own choices, for good or bad.

•Source: http://depression.about.com/cs/suicideprevent/a/suicidal.htm

GROUP ACTIVITY

Group Activity:

• Get together in groups of 3 or 4

• One or two people in the group are going to read the emails, blogs, of IM’s aloud

• Pick one person in the group to do the writing for your group, and one person to do the speaking

•Write down at least 2 risk factors, at least 1 warning sign and then describe what your group would do to help.