Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/362030
WATCHING SOMEONE YOU love struggle with emotional pain and stress is difficult, and it becomes even more so when that person begins considering taking her own life because she's unable to deal with the problems surrounding her. What's more distressing is the fact that many people never ask for help before they attempt suicide, according to the nonprofit Suicide Awareness Voices of Education. "Suicide is a very permanent 'solution' to a generally temporary problem," says Gina Lien, MS, LPC, Psychotherapist at the L.E. Phillips- Libertas Treatment Center. "Getting help to those people considering suicide is a crucial first step." SEEING THE SIGNS "Identification is key," Lien says. "Without identifying people at risk, we lose them." The most telltale signs that you or someone you love might be considering suicide are generally those associated with depression and anxiety, she adds. Any of the following can be indicators that it's time to seek help: ✳ Changes in eating habits ✳ Changes in energy level ✳ Chronic aches and pains ✳ General moodiness ✳ Lethargy and excessive sleepiness ✳ Loss of interest in hobbies and once-enjoyable activities ✳ Problems concentrating ✳ Uncharacteristic forgetfulness ✳ Withdrawal from friends and other changes in social behaviors Sometimes, identifying those at risk isn't easy. In a 2014 study published in World Psychiatry, the authors found what they called an "invisible" risk group—people who didn't exhibit the same signs HOPE SUICIDE IS PREVENTABLE, YET IT STILL CLAIMS MORE LIVES EVERY YEAR THAN MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS, ACCORDING TO THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC). Did You Know? Teenagers get much of the focus when it comes to suicides, but a 2013 CDC report found that the annual suicide rate among adults age 35 to 64 increased 28 percent between 1999 and 2010. It was the largest increase seen in any age group. into TURNING Hop elessness 4 I N S P I R I N G H E A LT H