TW: This post discusses suicide.
Reaching out to someone experiencing an emotional crisis can make a big difference.
Globally, some 800,000 people die from suicide every year – that’s twice the number that die from homicide. But people who are considering ending their life aren’t thinking about statistics, They are experiencing debilitating emotional pain and have come to the conclusion that life is no longer worth living. They don’t need numbers. They need support.
Even with the world-wide availability of crisis intervention services for people considering suicide, many people who could benefit don’t seek it out. Similarly, people concerned about their loved ones and friends too often refrain from reaching out to them for fear of making matters worse or possibly triggering an attempt. But research has shown that people do benefit from reaching out to find or to offer support.
New York City psychiatrist Jeanne Rogers wanted to do something to raise awareness about that. In addition to being a psychotherapist, Dr. Rogers is also an accomplished singer/songwriter. Her therapeutic abilities and her musical skills recently led to the creation of a song. She wrote Grab My Hand, an appeal to people in emotional despair and to people wanting to offer support; a lyrical invitation to reach out to receive or provide life affirming help.In a recent conversation Dr. Rogers explained to me how Grab My Hand came about.
You can watch the music video of Grab My Hand and learn more about Dr. Rogers’ dual careers as therapist and musician on her website. The song is also available on digital music services such as Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play and Pandora.
Many experts in the field of suicide prevention believe that reaching out for support and offering support to someone in crisis can make a critical difference. There are a number of organizations in the U.S. that offer intervention information and services to both for people experiencing an emotional crisis and people who are concerned about a friend or loved one. Here are a few of many such organizations:
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- The Crisis Text Line
- Suicide Is Different
- The American Foundation For Suicide Prevention
- The Jed Foundation
Canada has several mental health support organizations who provide hotlines. In the UK the National Health Service also lists a number of organizations that offer support to individuals in distress.
If you live somewhere else and are looking for support here is a directory of crisis intervention organizations located in almost every country in the world
If you know of additional organizations you might recommend, please use the comment box to let us know . We’ll post them in a follow up blog.
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