The month of September is the month of suicide prevention and its effects on the mental health of young people and adults. The theme of this year is “the world is not better without you” where we want to raise awareness and educate people more about suicide issues, how to seek help, how to offer help and finally how to be more open to vulnerable issues.
Aruba is a small island, but that does not rule out the mental problems that our country is facing. there are different areas where your person can be equipped in order to understand and help others or yourself. There are vulnerable thoughts such as suicide, that should not be a taboo nor something that we hide, but something that we are openly discussing for the safety of each of us.
Learn the signal:
Something very important to detect and help a person and prevent the worst is through the key signs that differentiate suicide and mental problems such as depression and anxiety. There is a key difference, to draw a line where a person has depression/anxiety and when he has thoughts like suicide. The signs can be difficult to differentiate, but there will be certain things that will indicate the right area. If you see the signs you can improve, so you can refine the help that you might be able to provide. Certain signs can be conversations and sometimes jokes that always end up thinking about getting hurt or harm others. There can be times where they don’t want to be anywhere or around anyone and there can be times when the signal are there, but they are covered by other problems or topics.
Learning the right terms:
Learn the correct terms when approaching them, to help another person is very important. In the world of mental problem there are different terms that are used to describe the state of a person, so professionals and people in prevention areas can know how to specify where they can start giving the best care and up to how much they should put there in order to prevent the worst.
Learning statistics:
Learning the statistics when you come to help a person, we have to be open and educate ourselves briefly first before we give a hand, why? Because it is very important for you to learn the way these problems can evolve, so that you can be more equipped to support where the person needs you. Understanding what and from where and how much in this area is a fundamental key.
Learn the effective way to reduce:
Reduce and prevent as it is above stipulated. It cannot happen if we do not know the correct and effective way to help a person. We must know how and what should be said at certain times so that you help the person and do not speak without making a change in the person.
Learning to ask strong questions:
By asking them deep questions we find out for sure how and where the person’s problems began so that we can try to break those ties that the person may have that prevent him from looking beyond and looking for things that are necessary.
Learning who to go to:
As mentioned above, you must learn where, what, how and how much help a person needs in order to find the people equipped for it. In Aruba itself we have different paths where your person can go and there are different people you can approach. If you are going through something like this with another person or personally.
By helping each other we are ensuring that this person can see that suicide is not the end, and that many more great and impressive things will come in their future, that they will be able to get closer and talk so that together we can move forward. Suicide prevention can feel like an issue that has not been conceived for years as an island,but there are many things that happen internally in our community that if you see the signals we will know how to prevent and help others.
