Hold Hope!
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month—a time to raise awareness, reduce stigma, remember those we have lost, and remind those who are struggling of something important: there is hope, and no one should have to struggle alone.
Suicide can be difficult to talk about. We may worry about saying the wrong thing, making someone uncomfortable, or not knowing what to do if someone tells us they are struggling. But silence does not protect people. Connection and hope can.
Suicide prevention can begin with something as simple as noticing that someone has not seemed like themselves. Sending the text. Making the phone call. Asking the difficult question. And being willing to listen to the answer without judgment. You do not have to be a mental health professional to make a difference—you simply have to be willing to notice, ask, listen, and help someone take the next step.
Make Hope a Verb
When someone is experiencing intense emotional pain, telling them to “have hope” may not be enough. Hope does not have to be something we wait to feel—hope can be something we do.
Hope is telling someone what has really been going on. It is making the appointment. Calling the crisis line. Trying treatment again when something else did not work. Letting someone sit beside you through a difficult moment. Taking one more step, even when you cannot yet see where it will lead.
Sometimes, we find hope by taking action before we can feel it. Effective treatments exist for people experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Recovery may not happen quickly or follow a straight line, but circumstances can change. Emotions can change. Treatment can help. A difficult chapter does not have to be the final chapter.
Remembering Those We Have Lost
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month must also make space for those whose lives have been forever changed by suicide loss. Behind every person lost to suicide are people who remember them—parents, children, partners, siblings, friends, colleagues, clinicians, and communities. Suicide loss can leave behind grief, anger, guilt, confusion, and questions that may never have simple answers. Those left behind deserve compassion, connection, and support, too.
One resource for those navigating suicide loss is Harry Bruell’s The After Journey: A Survivor’s Guide After the Death of a Loved One by Suicide. Written from the perspective of a father following the death of his daughter to suicide, the book offers support and perspective for those learning to live with the loss of someone they love.
Suicide Prevention Belongs to All of Us
Suicide prevention does not belong only to therapists, hospitals, or crisis services. It belongs to all of us. It belongs in the moments when we notice. When we reach out. When we ask the difficult question. When we listen without judgment. And when we choose to stay present with someone who is struggling.
We may not always have the right words or know exactly what to do. But we can listen. We can take someone’s pain seriously. We can help them find support. And we can remind them that they do not have to face their hardest moments alone.
Because sometimes, when someone cannot see a way forward, we have to hold hope for one another until they are ready to hold it for themselves.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. Call or text 988 (in the U.S.) to connect with a trained crisis counselor 24/7. You are not alone, and help is available.
