Preventing suicide Tips

In North Carolina, to prevent suicides ANYONE needing help or concerned that an individual is considering causing harm to himself or herself call 24/7:
• Access to Care/Crisis Services lines in the Local Management Entities http://www.ncdhhs.gov/mhddsas/lmedirectory.htm
• CARE-LINE (Monday-Friday 8-5 only) by calling 1-800-662-7030 (English/Spanish) or 1-877-452-2514 (TTY). For local calls, you may dial 855-4400 (English/Spanish) or 919-733-4851 (TTY). http://www.ncdhhs.gov/ocs/careline.htm
• REAL Crisis Intervention, Greenville, NC 27858, 1-252-758-4357
http://www.realcrisis.org/
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you. http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• 911 - if a life threatening emergency

WARNING SIGNS
Abrupt change in personality
Withdrawal from others
Giving away possessions
Change in sleep habits
Previous suicidal attempts
Change in eating habits
Drugs or alcohol abuse
Change in hygiene
Talk about suicide

KNOW THE FACTS

Every 42 seconds, someone attempts suicide. Every 16.9 minutes, someone completes suicide.
Suicide outnumbered homicides (16,899) by 5 to 3.
There were twice as many deaths due to suicide than deaths due to HIV/AIDS (14,802).
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States.
It was the 8th leading cause of death for males, and 19th leading cause of death for females.
Among the highest rates (when categorized by gender and race) are suicide deaths for white men over 85.
Suicide was the 3rd leading cause of death among young people 15 to 24 years of age, following unintentional injuries and homicide.
The strongest risk factors for attempted suicide in adults are depression, alcohol abuse, cocaine use, and separation or divorce.
The strongest risk factors for attempted suicide in youth are depression, alcohol or other drug use disorder, and aggressive or disruptive behaviors

(Source: National Institute of Mental Health)
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/App_Files/Media/PDF/NSPL_WalletCard.pdf