Suicide Prevention Starts With a Conversation

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to bring awareness to suicide, reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, and remind people that talking about suicide can save a life.

Suicide affects people from all walks of life. It can affect our families, friends, coworkers, classmates, neighbors, and communities. Sometimes we don't realize how close suicide is to our own lives until someone we know is struggling or we experience the devastating loss of someone we love. Most of the time, we have no idea that someone in our life is struggling.

The COVID-19 pandemic also changed the way many people experienced sadness, loneliness, isolation, and uncertainty. While suicide rates in the United States decreased slightly in 2020, the pandemic brought significant concerns about social isolation, financial stress, disrupted school and work, family stress, and new or worsening mental health symptoms. For many people, those experiences highlighted just how important connection and support are. The effects of prolonged isolation and stress have also continued to be part of conversations around depression, anxiety, and mental health.

As a therapist, suicide prevention is something I talk about regularly. But as a parent of a middle-school-aged child, it is also something I believe we need to be willing to discuss at home. My son is at an age where, unfortunately, suicide and self-harm are topics he may encounter among his peers. I have talked with him about the importance of being kind to others, paying attention when someone may be struggling, and knowing when to involve a trusted adult.

Recently, my son had a class at school where they were learning about suicide. When he came home, he told me, “Mom, all the stuff you told me, the teachers said the same stuff.”

That moment stayed with me. It reminded me that the conversations we have with our children at home matter. We cannot always protect our children from difficult topics or experiences, but we can give them the tools to recognize when something isn't right and teach them that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.

I encourage my son to be kind to all students and, most importantly, to tell a trusted adult or school counselor if another student talks about self-harm or suicide. I want him to understand that he does not have to solve another person's crisis himself. His job is to take it seriously and tell an adult who can help.

The Numbers Are More Than Numbers

The statistics surrounding suicide can be difficult to comprehend, but they are important because they represent real people and real families.

According to the CDC, 48,824 people died by suicide in the United States in 2024. The CDC also reports that millions more people experienced serious thoughts of suicide, made suicide plans, or attempted suicide during that same year.

These numbers represent real people. Behind every number is a person who had a story, relationships, hopes, struggles, and people who cared about them. Behind every suicide death are family members, friends, classmates, coworkers, and communities who are left to grieve. Suicide is not simply a statistic. It is a loss that can ripple through families and communities.

That is why suicide prevention cannot only happen when someone is already in crisis. Prevention also happens in everyday moments when we build connection, pay attention to changes in someone's behavior, and make it easier for people to ask for help.

Prevention Starts With Conversation

Prevention can start with something as simple as being willing to talk.

It starts when we teach our children that it is okay to talk about difficult emotions. It starts when we check on the friend who doesn't seem like themselves. It starts when we take statements about self-harm or suicide seriously rather than assuming someone is “just looking for attention.” It starts when we teach our children where they can go for help.

Sometimes, it starts with asking someone directly, “Are you thinking about suicide?”

Many people worry that asking directly about suicide will put the idea into someone's head. Asking a direct question, however, can open the door for an honest conversation and give someone an opportunity to say what they may have been afraid to share.

You do not need to have the perfect words. You do not need to know exactly how to fix the situation. You simply need to be willing to listen, take the person seriously, and help connect them with someone who can provide appropriate support.

We All Have a Role in Suicide Prevention

You do not have to be a therapist, counselor, doctor, teacher, or mental health professional to make a difference. You can listen. You can ask questions. You can take someone's words seriously. You can help connect them with a trusted adult, school counselor, crisis resource, or mental health professional.

For parents, this can mean creating an environment where children know they can bring difficult topics to you without immediately being judged or punished. It can mean talking about mental health before there is a crisis, so asking for help feels like something they are allowed to do, not something they should hide.

For children and teens, it is also important to understand that they are not responsible for handling another person's crisis on their own. If a friend talks about self-harm or suicide, their role is not to keep the secret or try to solve the problem themselves. Their role is to tell a trusted adult who can help.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or help them get to the nearest emergency department. You can also call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for immediate crisis support.

This September, Start the Conversation

Suicide prevention is not about having the perfect words. It is about being willing to have the conversation.

We may not always know who is struggling. We may not recognize the signs in someone we see every day. What we can do is create more opportunities for people to talk, ask for help, and know that someone will take them seriously.

This September, let's be willing to talk. Let's check on one another. Let's teach our children that mental health matters. And let's remind the people around us that they do not have to face their darkest moments alone.

A conversation could be the moment someone realizes they are not alone.

At Towler Counseling LLC, we believe that talking about mental health should be something people can do before they reach a crisis point. If you or your child is struggling with depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or another mental health concern, support is available. Reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness. It is a step toward making sure you do not have to navigate difficult moments alone.

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