November Educational Updates
Week One
Listening to Lived Expertise: Learning from people who have experienced suicidal intensity and loss
Did you know?
For people 18-65 in the US, suicide is the 4th leading cause of death
o 4.5x more common than HIV death
o 2.2x more common than homicides
o Even more than motor vehicle deaths
In fact, every 13 ½ minutes someone dies by suicide, leaving on average six “survivors of suicide loss” behind to try to make sense out of the tragedy. People bereaved by suicide have lived experience with the complicated grief and intense trauma and sometimes make meaning out of these experiences by getting involved in suicide prevention on many levels.
There is another important group of people whose lived expertise has too often been overlooked, and that is the knowledge of recovery and survival of suicide attempt survivors. There are many more suicide attempt survivors than loss survivors: over 1 million people attempt to kill themselves every year and over 750,000 of them require some sort of medical attention.
Suicide attempt survivors hold the “black box” on what it takes to come back from despair. Through their stories of hope and recovery they can inspire meaning and purpose for many others who see no way out. They can teach us how to preserve dignity, counter stigma, and end stereotypes and discrimination. By providing peer supports they can promote community connectedness in a time when people feel very alone.
Learn more about suicide attempt survivors – how to support them and if you are one of them, ways for you to get involved in the suicide prevention movement:
http://www.suicidology.org/suicide-survivors/suicide-attempt-survivors
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/gethelp/attempt.aspx
Shawn Brooks | Lieutenant – Health and Wellness
Fire Department | City and County of Denver
5440 Roslyn, Bldg. F | Denver, CO 80216
(303)944-4064 Cell | (303)550-2581 Phone
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