Warning Signs

Long time between posts. This time I am posting the warning signs that people need to keep attention to when being with friends, family, or love ones.

		To Reduce the Risk of Suicide, Know the Signs The best way to prevent suicide is through education. Most suicides are related to depression, and, since we cannot always prevent depression (although we can frequently treat it successfully), we can learn to recognize and respond to cries for help from people who feel hopeless and helpless. Verbal Cues Direct messages include statements such as "I am going to commit suicide," or "I don't want to live any more." Indirect messages include statements such as "Life isn't worth living," "I want to go to sleep and never wake up," "Soon it won't matter anymore," and "Do you think suicide is wrong?" These are subtler ways that people express their pain and hopelessness, but they just as surely express a desire to die. Behavioral Cues Each of the following behaviors by itself may not signal suicidal thinking or depression, but if several are present, there could be cause for serious concern. · Depression, moodiness, sadness, or lack of energy · Talking directly or indirectly about dying or committing suicide · Changes in sleeping habits (too much, too little) · Changes in eating habits (sudden weight gain, weight loss) · Discouragement about the future, self-criticism · Recent lack of concern about physical appearance, hygiene · Withdrawal from social contacts or communication difficulty · Giving away prized possessions · Drop in school grades or work performance · Acquiring the means for suicide (guns, drugs, rope) · Making final arrangements, writing a will · Taking unusual risks · Increased drug or alcohol use · Preoccupation with death through poetry and/or artwork · Previous suicide attempts (80% of those who kill themselves have attempted it before) Situational Cues The following events frequently lead to crisis. For some people, internal and external resources are present in sufficient amounts to cope. For others, intense feelings coupled with a lack of external resources result in serious emotional crisis. · End of a serious relationship · Death of a loved one · Divorce · Loss of a job · Financial difficulties · Moving to a new location · Isolation

Long time since my last post

So sorry for the long time (like 5 months between posts) since I last posted. I will try and get something new out soon. I have been having my own problems with stuff and have not had time to write anything. Actually not sleeping can do that to a person.

But I am still very strongly wanting people to know what is going on with AFSP. And there have been some changes in that area as well. I believe that it is going to be for the best for everyone involved. What I do know is that no matter what changes are going on, no matter what amount of sleep I do or do not get, no matter what is going on in your life and no matter what is in or not in this health reform bill there are people out there that have lost hope. There are people out there that are going through pain that they have never felt before. Pain so strong that they do not believe there is any other way out but through suicide. They are feeling that there are no one in their family, friends, or anyone else in the world that really loves or cares about them and that they are all alone in this struggle. They are good at hiding their feelings and you may even know someone who is hurting right now but have no clue. It is time for people to start looking at the signs of depression, signs of lost of interest and signs of them slowly giving up hope. They may be in your family, your best friend, your friend from church or work and they may even be the last person you would ever have thought about going through these feelings.

So I shall be back but please remember the ones that have fallen to their pain or loneliness and look out for those that might be next (because we know one person in the USA will commit a suicide every 16 minutes and there is an attempt one every minute). Those are facts that will not change no matter how much you want to disbelieve it.

Ok now another one of my opinions on this subject. This time involving church and what I feel is their lack of interest into suicide. I first want to say that I love my church and would not want to change it at all. And I do give my pastor props for talking about depression which is a very good positive sign to say the least. But even with those improvements churches in general have fallen way short of going beyond even talking about depression. Experts say that over 75% of all suicides were committed by people who were first going through depression. So while talking about depression is good it is like building a bridge half or three-quarters across the water and then opening up the bridge for people to drive on. Talking about depression and how to help solve it will get people most of the way to their final destination but it still misses that final destination in the end. They fall short and that is where culture and churches are as well. Maybe suicide is a subject that Christians and churches together think that if they do not talk about it then it will affect them. Maybe it is that churches and pastors together feel that talking about such a powerful issue will not only hurt their attendance but might even cause people to leave their church altogether. And if you lose people in your church you lose their financial support along with it. And for some churches offerings are the main subject they want to talk about and they would hate to lose that money coming into the church. Or maybe it is just pastors in general do not know how to approach this subject. I mean let’s face it suicide as a story or a sermon does not have a happy ending. There is an ending that is for sure but it is an ending that was provided by the individual’s choice and not God’s or the worlds. Suicide doesn’t exist only in the secular world and it just doesn’t avoid the Christian world. Both worlds are affected equally and both worlds will have families that must face the next day and the rest of their lives without that person that they loved so much. But in the end that love one lost hope and gave in to suicide.

So I feel that the church could help so much in changing peoples views on suicide. I feel that churches can really play a major role in lowering the suicide rate even if it is only slightly. Suicide will never cease to exist but it can be lowered through the involvement of the church and their strong support within the communities. The church has played a major role in so many areas throughout the world’s history but where are they on this issue. Why have they been so silent in an arena that needs them the most? Doctors, therapist, and medicines are helping a lot but a strong pastor and a strong church can also add the Christ view into people’s lives. See this is where I am hoping that even one or two churches can take that stance and have a sermon or two on it. Just think about how many of the elderly and teens are thinking about suicide right now. Elderly who have lost their friends, family members, or spouse to death along their live and now see that they are facing the rest of their life alone. And what about that teen that is going through what Hollywood has coined “The teenage drama” but to a teen it is real life and to them there might be only one way out for them. They are not mature enough yet to fully accept being dumped or being rejected or being benched or not being selected for that role in the school play is apart of life. For them their world is over and life is over as well. So suicide becomes an option for them to take.

I love the church and love what they mean to each community out there. I love the fact that the church is not afraid to tackle even the touchiest of issues. I just see that the church is kind of stepping aside on suicide and depression for whatever reason. I know that I believe in prayer and believe that God can heal even the most depressed person out there. And I know one day the church will take on suicide and will tackle it the way that it should be. But for the moment I just feel that this is not being tackled by the church.

For my next blog I will find better stats and will provide better support on my views.

The Overnight Walk in Chicago

This June 27-28 in Chicago, IL will be a walk like no other. From sun down to sun rise and people walking up to 18 miles this walk will help raise money for a cause that is very important to me. While I will most likely not be able to attend I will not let my support go without notice. I will yet again donate to someone else who is going to this event. And with my next few sentences and hopefully with to the point statements I am hoping that you too will at least donate to someone else who is attending this event as well. At the end of this I will post a link to a video that will just show you how important and how much suicide has affected so many peoples lives. That is right the cause that is dear to my heart is AFSP's (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) Overnight Walk. Most people do not know the scope of suicide to this country muchless the world (although I will not go into global aspects until later blogs). But for now I will not mention that someone in this world will commit a suicide every 40 seconds or that there is an suicide for every 20 attempts so that puts attempts at one every couple of seconds world wide. I will just for now focus on America only. In the States there is an attempt every minute and a suicide every 16 minutes. That means that during a 24-hour period about 90 people will have killed themselves due to illness, AIDS, alcohol, drugs, AND depression AND lost of hope in their lives just to name a few reasons. AFSP is fighting hard to help prevent suicide from happening in research and getting the information out there so family members can see the signs before they see the death of their love one. This walk brings together people who have either suffered from losing a parent, a child, a husband or wife, a love one, a close friend, or just someone that they knew. And it also brings in people who have attempted suicide and those who have struggled with the thoughts although may never have attempted suicide themselves.

I can not tell you how disappointed I am in how churches, communities, and people in general do not accept suicide as something worth talking about. Just because it did not happen to someone they love or know doesn't mean it will never be that same way in the future. I feel that christians mistake their faith as the power that would prevent a person from commiting suicide. I feel pastors are either afraid to talk about it or afraid that they might lose people due to talking about it. But here is a fact that all people should consider. Look at your church, community, local hang out that you go to a lot and just look at the people in it. Now think of this. High School students have reported that 16.9% of them have thought about suicide at least once during a school year and that 8% have actually attempted suicide during that same period. And look at the other spectrum, the older population. Men and women above 65 are commiting suicide at a rate of almost 13 per 100,000 people. And yet people still hide their eyes from this.

So I hope you will link over to this video and more importantly donate to someone who is going. For every walker is required to raise at least $1,000 in order to be able to walk. These people believe in this cause enough to take that challenge and I hope you would take my challenge and donate even $5 to someone. Your money is going to a better cause I promise.

Think of it this way. I think Starbucks will survive you not getting one $5 coffee for one night in order for you to give to AFSP and The Overnight Walk. And picture how many people you are helping with that money. Forget about the person who commits the suicide for one second. Think of all the family members, friends, and others that will suffer from that person leaving this way. Think about what the person who finds their love one dead will have to go through for the rest of their life. And now picture them not having to go through that because you decided to help save even just one life. Saving just one life also means saving tens of people who loved that person. And for that I say $5, $10, or even more is worth the price. Because that one person your money might being saving just might be someone you loved or know very well.

Again please go here and look at this video before you decide what you will want to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPrlURrhA2s

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I will be taking it easy to start with but hope to make this a regular event once I get going. I will be talking about everything that comes to my mind and will be speaking it through my eyes (or the truth according to me). I will not apologize for this being my point of view since this is my blog. I will try to look at everything from both sides of the story which most people will refuse to do. I feel that the only way to get a point across to people is to try to see every point of view while in the end giving only your take as the final point of view.

I will cover first an issue that is very important to me and one that most people, churches, and communities try to push under the rug and that is suicide. This issue is greatly misunderstood and to be honest not considered an issue important enough for people to talk about until it happens to someone they either love or know. And that to me is just the wrong way to look at things. Lets be honest here. There is more talk about who should be drafted first in a fantasy draft, which cartoon character is more powerful than the others, which actor you would rather date (as if you really had a chance with that conversation anyway), and other things that mean zero to your real life than what is being said about suicide prevention. Sad to say the least. And I will try to put a stop to that and start the talking about suicide instead.

I will then move on to other things like depression, church and depression, and of course other things like: Politics, Join Red, One.org, and many other causes that I strongly believe in and support.

I hope you like my future blogs and more importantly I hope you take part in them by speaking out your point of view. Unlike a liberal I do actually want counter-point of views. That is truly what a discussion is all about. Or at least in my point of view it is.

http://www.theovernight.org/

Please visit The Out of Darkness Overnight Walk website to get a view of what my first blog will be about.