The Importance of Suicide Awareness

The topic of Suicide Awareness is very important to our owners here at Advanced Integrated Controls. Know the signs and please do not hesitate to offer help.

It is a statistical probability that you know someone who has attempted or committed suicide. In the time it will take you to read this article, someone will have successfully committed suicide. By the end of this day, 105 Americans will have committed suicide. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States with 38,000 Americans committing suicide a year. 250,000 people this year will survive a suicide attempt.

Nearly a quarter of Americans say they are depressed, and half of  Americans will have a major depressive episode in their lifetime. Almost 90% of those who seek therapy/medication for depression, see results. However, not all of those who have suicidal thoughts seek help or therapy.

Whether it is due to stigma, lack of resources, insurance, or some other cause, suicide can be prevented.

Be aware of the warning signs of suicide, but be mindful they are not solely exclusive.

  • Talking about feelings of hopelessness, being a burden, suicide, or death
  • Increased usage of substances (alcohol or drugs)
  • Sleeping too much or too little
  • Withdrawn and isolated behaviors
  • Extreme mood swings
  • Wanted to exact revenge or rage full actions/thoughts

Be aware of the risk factors for suicide:

  • Mental disorders
  • Mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety and personality disorders
  • Substance abuse
  • History of trauma or abuse
  • Major or chronic illness
  • Previous family history of depression or suicide
  • Recent loss (family, friend, job, significant other)
  • Lack of social support
  • Stigma surrounding mental health
  • Lack of mental health care

Be aware of how you can help prevent suicide:

  • Provide social support to your loved ones
  • Include isolated members of your community
  • Help remove the stigma surrounding mental health
  • Have open dialogues about mental health and have an open mind about symptoms from others
  • Seek help should you need it

As usual, there’s also an app for that…

Here are some of apps showing promise in the mental health realm:

Project: Evo is designed to improve symptoms of inattention, executive function, and working memory. The company is testing others to help address Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury, and autism. Research shows this app may help children with cognitive impairments, including sensory processing disorder. Additionally, another study showed that the video game interface may help treat underlying causes of depression and not just assist in managing the symptoms.

Moodhacker has an interactive platform encouraging healthy habits, tracking sleeping patterns, nutrition, exercise, and social support. By tracking behaviors and moods this app helps users better understand the flow of their days and assist in making better decisions. In a controlled study of 300 employees, it helped promote work productivity, reduced absence from work, and lowered workplace distress, when compared to other depression-related websites.

MONARCA is an app designed to assist bipolar sufferers in monitoring their symptoms.  This app tracks users activity, moods, sleep patterns, medication adherence, stress levels, and alcohol consumption, as well as noticing triggers and early warning signs. It then shares the data with doctors or loved ones.

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