September is Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide rates have been on the rise for the last several years, and its affects are felt by every person, regardless of age, gender or background. Although great progress has been made in addressing the state of the mental health epidemic, there remains a strong stigma surrounding help-seeking behaviors. 

Knowing the Warning Signs

Talking about:

• Wanting to die
• Great guilt or shame
• Being a burden to others

Feeling:

• Empty, hopeless, trapped, or having no reason to live
• Extremely sad, more anxious, agitated, or full of rage
• Unbearable emotional or physical pain

Changing behavior, such as:

• Making a plan or researching ways to die
• Withdrawing from friends, saying goodbye, giving away important items, or making a will
• Taking dangerous risks such as driving extremely fast
• Displaying extreme mood swings
• Eating or sleeping more or less
• Using drugs or alcohol more often

Approximately 80% of all people who die by suicide are of working age (18–65) making the workplace the best system for prevention, intervention and crisis response. Here at Ohio State, we are working toward awareness and prevention of suicide by utilizing an interactive screening tool through our OSU WorksWell program. OSU WorksWell is a collaborative partnership between the Ohio State Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and the Ohio State University Suicide Prevention Program (OSUSPP). WorksWell leverages the Interactive Screening Protocol (ISP) developed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to screen for symptoms of stress, depression, and other mental health conditions, while identifying employees that may be at risk of suicide who may otherwise not receive support. For more information, or to get your team involved, visit our webpage here or contact us at osuworkswell@osu.edu.

If you or someone you know experiences thoughts of suicide, please know you are not alone. Help is available by contacting the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or Text “HELLO” to 741741. Together, we can save lives.

For counseling support through the Ohio State Employee Assistance Program, please call 800-678-6265 or click here to make an online request.