September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness, spread hope and spark meaningful action around one of the most urgent mental health issues.
Lacey Schmitt-Monson is a program therapist with Senior Life Solutions at Franklin General Hospital in Hampton and tells RadioOnTheGo News every age group is at risk of suicide, and in rural areas like northern Iowa, there has been a 46% increase in suicide rates compared to a 27.3% rate increase in urban areas for the time period of 2000 to 2020.
“What we’re looking at for the groups most at risk in a rural area would be our farmers. As you know, farming is the biggest gamble you can take. It is a huge risk. So if things go wrong, a lot of times financially, people feel like they don’t have a way out. Another group would be veterans. Access to VA care is hard to find in rural areas. A lot of people don’t believe that’s true, but that is an actual statistic. And what we’re seeing in older adults, the isolation, not having access to other people, being alone in their homes, makes them very vulnerable to suicide.”
Schmitt-Monson says isolation is one of many warning signs of suicide along with economic factors, references to self harm and withdrawing from life and day-to-day activities.
“We separate ourselves from everyone. want to isolate. We feel we’re a burden. So the best thing we can do is stay away. Another thing that a lot of people don’t talk about is changes in mood or behavior. If there’s a sudden shift such as irritability, anxiety, rage, hopelessness; this can indicate someone is in deep distress. It could also be their behavior changes from completely depressed and all of a sudden they have this new found sense of well-being. We call this cleaning house where they start giving away items, things that they never would have gotten rid of before. It can also be risky behaviors like driving recklessly, which is a cry for help. Expressing hopelessness, nothing will ever get better or there’s no point.”
She says there are several things you can do to help someone who is having thoughts of suicide.
“Don’t be afraid to flat out ask them. Start the conversation. ‘Have you been thinking about hurting yourself?’ It’s not going to plant a seed or an idea in their head because odds are they’ve already been thinking about it. They’re just happy somebody asked them how they’re feeling and that somebody sees them. So don’t be afraid to open that door. And when you do, listen without judgment. Don’t leave them alone if they are at immediate risk. Of course, stay with them until help is called, take them to the hospital, but whatever you do, please do not leave their side. And then encourage them to talk to a mental health professional, reach out yourself to a mental health professional to see what you can do, because the more supports that surround that person, the better off they’re gonna do.”
According to the CDC, over 49,000 people in the United States died by suicide in 2023.
