Thursday October 10th was the third annual World Mental Health Day and the theme this year was suicide prevention. Past themes for this have been young people and mental health, and mental health in the workplace. This day is organized by the World Federation for Mental Health, which was founded in 1948 by its first director George Brock Chisholm. It has been working towards the prevention and treatment of mental disorders, and the overall awareness and emphasis of mental health. With mental illnesses and health becoming less and less taboo to talk about and with more and more important figures sharing their personal experiences with mental health and wellness, I thought that the week of World Mental Health Day would be the perfect time to share a conglomeration of resources for anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts and/or tendencies.
(Photo via Toa Heftiba)
There are tons of resources geared towards suicide prevention that can be found through a simple Google search, but it’s important to know the specific resources that understand the unique experiences of different groups of people, and use that knowledge to provide more effective suicide prevention tactics.
A fantastic place to start for teens and young adults to seek help is Teen Health and Wellness. On their website, they provide a clear and organized list of hotlines and websites for young people in need of assistance for anything from suicide, substance abuse, violence, and even just information concerning mental health. This organization also provides their own mobile app as well as crisis text lines in order to ensure all individuals contacting them feel comfortable reaching out.
The Jed Foundation is dedicated to the mental wellness and suicide prevention of college students. They have their own telephone hotline and crisis text line for any student who doesn’t feel comfortable talking about their issues out loud. In addition to their hotlines, they have a variety of programs that also work towards the mental health and suicide prevention among college students. These include Jed Campus which work with campuses to create or better their mental health programs, and ULifeline which contains information about how college impacts and affects your mental health.
(Photo via The Trevor Project)
For the LGBTQ+ community, one of the most famous organizations is the Trevor Project. Since its creation in 1994, the Trevor Project has helped hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ community members. They have a multitude of avenues for suicidal and troubled individuals to reach out and speak to someone who can help. Not only do they have a traditional hotline, but they also have a TrevorChat and TrevorText, which connect individuals to real counselors via instant message or text, if speaking over the phone is not an option or not preferred.
No matter who you are, you can always contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts and/or tendencies, and you should take advantage of the mental health resources on your campus and in your community. I will include the hotline numbers for every organization listed in this article, there is ALWAYS a way to reach out.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline:
-1-800-273-8255
Trevor Project:
-Hotline: 1-866-488-7386
-Text Line: text START to 678678
The Jed Foundation:
-Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
-Text Line: text START to 741-741
All of these resources and so many more are available for you to use, the only thing you have to do is take the first step towards help and reach out. There is always a way for you to talk in a way that is comfortable and feels safe to you, there is always someone who cares. The people in your life and the people that are a part of these organizations are all eager to help you, they just need you to ask them. Be safe, take care of yourself and the people you love, and remember that there is always someone who cares.