Chelsea Borruano Chelsea Borruano

Suicide Safety Planning

Awareness is just one step in suicide prevention. Asking if someone has thought about suicide and taking action can be vital in saving a life. Having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self harm does not mean you are broken or crazy, it just means that you can no longer do this alone and you absolutely don’t have to. Hope and help is out there.

Awareness is just one step in suicide prevention. Asking if someone has thought about suicide and taking action can be vital in saving a life. Having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self harm does not mean you are broken or crazy, it just means that you can no longer do this alone and you absolutely don’t have to. Hope and help is out there.

Read to learn more about what a suicide safety plan is and how you can implement one for yourself or your loved ones. Feel free to save and share the tiles via your social media channels.

If you or someone you love is in crisis, you are not alone. Dial 988 for 24/7 access to crisis support.

cite: verywellmind.com

What is a safety plan?

A suicide safety plan is a written set of instructions that you create for yourself as a contingency plan should you begin to experience thoughts about harming yourself. It contains a series of gradually escalating steps that you follow, proceeding from one step to the next, until you are safe.

Creating a plan

Work with someone or several people you trust when you are feeling well and can think clearly. Put it in writing, keep it somewhere easily accessible, and inform anyone who is a part of it.

Here's what to include:

Warning signs

Think about the types of situations, images, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that might precede or accompany suicidal urges for you.

List these warning signs so that you can refer back to them when deciding whether to activate your plan.

Reasons for living

Create a list of your reasons for living.

Ways to calm/comfort yourself

Create a list of activities that can be soothing to you when you're upset. If you can't think of any examples off-hand, you may want to try some mind-body methods that have helped others, such as breathing exercises or body scan meditation.

Trusted contact information

Keep a list of contacts you can talk to if self-help measures do not work. List names, phone numbers, or other contact information, and be sure to have back-ups in case your first or second choices are unavailable.

Professional Resources

Create a list of all professional resources available to you, along with their phone numbers, email addresses, and other pertinent contact information. This is also a good place to keep a number for a crisis hotline such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Ways to Make Your Environment Safe

Plan what steps you can take to make yourself safe. This may involve removing or securing any items that you are likely to use to hurt yourself, or going to another location until the urges have passed. It may also involve getting another person involved to help you. If you feel like hurting yourself, you might plan to go to a public place to distract yourself. Or, if you are feeling suicidal and have access to a gun, you might ask someone to keep it at their house.

Using your plan

If you begin to experience any of the warning signs of suicide listed in your suicide safety plan, proceed through the steps you have previously outlined for yourself, one by one, until you are feeling safe again.

An exception would be if you are feeling out of control and are strongly thinking of suicide. In that case, it is best to call either a trusted friend who can be with you immediately or emergency services.

Tools

safety planning apps are available via the app store

Safety Plan

ReMinder

Beyond Now

For a safety plan template, visit zerosuicide.edc.org

Resources

9-8-8 National Crisis Line

@988lifeline

Crisis Text Line

Text TALK to 741-741

Veterans Crisis Line

Send a text to 838255

SAMHSA Treatment Referral Hotline (Substance Abuse)

1-800-662-HELP (4357)

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline

1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

National Domestic Violence Hotline

800.799.SAFE (7233)

National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline

1-866-331-9474

The Trevor Project

1-866-488-7386

@trevorproject

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Chelsea Borruano Chelsea Borruano

9-8-8 Crisis Line Launching July 16th

The 9-8-8 crisis line for behavioral health (mental health & substance use crisis counseling) is launching July 16th. Let’s talk about what that means.

This is an amazing step toward behavioral health crisis intervention but we still have a long way to go and we certainly can’t do it alone.

The 9-8-8 crisis line for behavioral health (mental health & substance use crisis counseling) is launching on July 16th. Let’s talk about what that means.

Here’s the link to the article we used to answer the most pressing questions below from Psychiatric Times. It provides a great overview of the program and additional resources for learning more along with a “Roadmap to the Ideal Crisis System.”

First off, what does this mean?

On July 16, the US will “soft launch” a new number for behavioral health emergencies. 9-8-8 connects to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline which will continue to provide 24/7 access to crisis counseling for anyone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis via phone, text, or chat.

When to use it?

When connection to local resources is less important, 988 is a great option because it is easy to remember and use. You will always get a consistent response from a trained crisis counselor. You can access help via text and chat even if your local call center does not yet have that capability. Veterans can easily access the Veterans Crisis Line via 988.

What about when you need local resources?

What happens when you call 988 can be highly dependent on where you live; thus advice about using 988 will need to be tailored to local communities. via Psychiatric Times™

In Louisiana, dialing 211 connects callers to information about critical health and human services available in their community. via louisiana211.org

What's next for this initiative?

The 988 number improves the availability and quality of crisis counseling via phone, text, and chat, but it does not create additional services. However, the planning process has prompted communities to improve coordination of existing resources, and many are working to develop new services including implementing mobile crisis teams (by 2025).

The 988 soft launch is just the beginning. SAMHSA’s long-term vision is that every community will have access to a robust and well-coordinated crisis system, where police are not the default first-responders for behavioral health emergencies, that ensures everyone has someone to call (988), someone to respond (mobile crisis), and somewhere to go (crisis facilities). States have received funding to plan and build these next-level crisis services, with additional funding legislation in development.

This is an amazing step toward behavioral health crisis intervention but we still have a long way to go and we certainly can’t do it alone 💛

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Chelsea Borruano Chelsea Borruano

DEPRESSION IS A LIAR

I’ve never considered suicide. Not because I thought there was hope or that things would get better. No, when I was at my lowest point and the depression had taken over, my inherent fear of dying is what kept me alive. But that’s the thing about depression. It engulfs you until all that’s left are negative emotions. It replaces hope with despair, happiness with emptiness, and love with loneliness. Because depression is a liar. It will poke and prod until you can no longer see the good things about yourself or the world, and, without help, it will continue to eat away at you until there is nothing left but darkness.

This past week I was asked to speak on mental health at a candlelight vigil for someone lost far too soon to suicide.

This is what I shared.

Depression is a liar.

I’ve never considered suicide. Not because I thought there was hope or that things would get better. No, when I was at my lowest point and the depression had taken over, my inherent fear of dying is what kept me alive. But that’s the thing about depression. It engulfs you until all that’s left are negative emotions. It replaces hope with despair, happiness with emptiness, and love with loneliness. Because depression is a liar. It will poke and prod until you can no longer see the good things about yourself or the world, and, without help, it will continue to eat away at you until there is nothing left but darkness.

And postpartum depression is the cruelest of them all. The same body, your body, that created a beautiful being, that brought new life into this world, it can turn on you in an instant. You’ve spent your whole life learning to accept and trust yourself, and now what? Your very being is telling you that you’re not enough. But, depression is a cold-hearted liar.

Suicide prevention stresses us to “look for the signs.” And then, we inevitably blame ourselves when we didn’t know, when we couldn’t save them. The thing is, the signs, the withdrawal or acting out, or recklessness, those are valid, but they’re also more often seen in teenagers. See, as adults, we’ve become so adept at masking our emotions, at building up our defenses, our walls, that even those closest to us, especially those closest to us, we make certain that they don’t see anything at all. We’re trained to spare others our pain.

So, how can we fight against the darkness? And trust me, for those of us who suffer everyday, it is an ongoing fight for survival. But has a battle ever been won with just one? No. The battle against depression cannot be won solely within. Because depression has already convinced us that we will never win. But, depression is a liar.

You don’t have to raise your hand, you certainly can if you want. How many people here have had feelings of immense emptiness? How many mothers have been engulfed in worthlessness, shame, guilt or inadequacy? How many of us have thought, even for a moment, that maybe it would be easier to just not exist at all?

At 28 years old, I had been fighting all my life against the darkness, and I was so, so tired. It wasn’t until my therapist pulled me out of its depths that I felt like I could continue the fight, that I started to hope and dream and do again. I am certain I could not have gotten through that time without help. Looking back, depression took a lot from me. And I often wonder what could have been different had I gotten help sooner. But honestly, I didn’t know. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to feel the way I did. I thought it was something I had to live with, and far too often, so do those who can no longer endure the fight.

If I had heard me here today, back then, just maybe, I would’ve reached out for help before 28. We’ve come a long way in normalizing mental health, but, if today tells us anything, it's that we haven’t made it far enough. We still have work to do.

So, I implore you. Talk to each other. Be vulnerable. Ask for help. Reach out to your strong friends. And, be bold in your conversations about mental health.

You are so, so very not alone.

- Chelsea Borruano

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Chelsea Borruano Chelsea Borruano

WISHING YOU PEACE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

We know the holidays aren't always the happiest. And today, as wishes of joy fill the air, we want you to know that whatever you're feeling is valid and you are so very not alone. We want you to find peace and hope in the smallest moments, but we also know that this season can come with sadness and pain, especially as we close out a year of immeasurable loss.

We know the holidays aren't always the happiest. And today, as wishes of joy fill the air, we want you to know that whatever you're feeling is valid and you are so very not alone. We want you to find peace and hope in the smallest moments, but we also know that this season can come with sadness and pain, especially as we close out a year of immeasurable loss.

As we ring in a new year, socially distant from a world we once knew, it may be hard to find a reason to celebrate. And if you choose not to, that's ok too. But you are still here, and it can totally be enough to just celebrate you.

We've compiled some resources to hopefully make wherever you are on your journey a little bit easier.

Wishing you safety, peace, and a bit of hope this holiday season. ​

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Chelsea Borruano Chelsea Borruano

SUICIDE PREVENTION WEEK

It's national suicide prevention week. As this project has evolved, I've gotten a lot of questions about losing someone to suicide. What are the signs? What could I have done differently? How do I get past the guilt? The short answer, I honestly don't know. The long answer, well, there are warning signs but they're usually minute, if they show outwardly at all. I believe it starts with being open and bold in our conversations about mental health, depression, suicide, self-harm, addiction, etc.

It's national suicide prevention week. As this project has evolved, I've gotten a lot of questions about losing someone to suicide. What are the signs? What could I have done differently? How do I get past the guilt? The short answer, I honestly don't know. The long answer, well, there are warning signs but they're usually minute, if they show outwardly at all. I believe it starts with being open and bold in our conversations about mental health, depression, suicide, self-harm, addiction, etc.

The guilt question is the hardest for me to address. I think, as human beings, we're wired for it; and someone you love taking their own life will leave you with more questions than answers. The more uncertainty we face, the easier it is to look inward and blame ourselves. All I can offer is this, depression is a disease and for some, it's a losing battle. You don't blame yourself for the person you love getting cancer so why do we think we can take on the weight of depression? The hope I have is that, while cancer is more or less in the hands of science and skilled medical professionals, mental health support isn't. We have resources, and they're growing everyday. We're having the right conversations. We're erasing stigmas. We're making medical advancements in treatment. And we're not doing it alone anymore.

So, to you, whoever you are, wherever you are, You Aren't Alone. We are better together and the world is a better place with YOU in it. Please don't take that away. Today, choose to stay.

For more information and resources, visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

If you think someone is thinking about suicide, assume you are the only one who will reach out. Here’s how to talk to someone who may be struggling with their mental health.

  1. Talk to them in private

  2. Listen to their story

  3. Tell them you care about them

  4. Ask directly if they are thinking about suicide

  5. Encourage them to seek treatment or to contact their doctor or therapist

  6. Avoid debating the value of life, minimizing their problems or giving advice

If a person says they are considering suicide

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