HOUSTON — During National Suicide Prevention Week, KHOU 11 is sharing resources and spotlighting the mental health struggle.
Suicide prevention groups say the best thing people can do if they're concerned their friends or family members may be struggling with suicidal thoughts is talk. But what if you don't know how to start a conversation?
KHOU 11 reporter Melissa Correa discusses stigmas and talking points with KHOU 11's mental health expert Bill Prasad, a professional counselor.
How are we doing mentally?
"When it comes to suicide, we’re seeing a large increase in the number of people who are suffering from depression," Prasad said. "So the research says one out of every four people, aged 18-24, has had suicidal ideation."
Ideation means the forming of ideas or concepts.
Why are more people between 18-24 struggling with their mental health right now?
"Well, first of all, at that age, you really haven’t had enough to time to develop as many resilience options as you can. You don’t have an experience in life," Prasad said. "Many, many college students are feeling a great deal of stress, because they don’t know what the future holds."
What are the myths about feeling suicidal?
"There are a lot of myths connected to suicidal ideation. For the most part, the vast majority of us, at least once in our lifetime, have had suicidal ideation," Prasad said. "Just because you have suicidal ideation doesn’t mean that you have the means or the plan to actually do it. But it does mean that you should reach out to someone."
If you or someone you know has the means and a plan to die by suicide, you should call 911 immediately.
"With other folks who might have suicidal ideation, but they don’t have a means or a plan, that could be an indicator of severe depression, that they need to get help also," Prasad said.
How can you tell if someone is severely depressed?
"One of the ways you can determine whether or not a person is really struggling is that they’re no longer able to fulfill their roles in life. Their role as a worker. Their role as a parent. Maybe a role as a spouse or a partner," Prasad said.
Other indicators of severe depression are: not being able to physically get out of bed, not eating as much and talking about death.
How do I start a conversation about suicide?
"When you start this conversation, first, don’t be judgmental. Don’t look at them and say, 'Don’t think about it. You’ll be fine.' That rarely works. Don’t be afraid to ask them, 'Are you thinking about killing yourself? It’s a very difficult question, but it has to be asked," Prasad said. "The myth is that if you ask someone if they’re thinking about killing themselves, then you’ll plant that seed in their heads. No. That is a myth. That is not the way it works."
