Language is important, essential to everyday living. Our word choices matter as we communicate to others and in the context of suicide prevention, language can mean life or death. With the potential for such dire consequences, how we speak about suicide is critical. In today’s blog, I will share what language is no longer recommended when talking about suicide, as well as what words or phrases are preferred.
Beginning to Heal is a book by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis which focuses on the ways one can recover from childhood sexual abuse. This book is based on the book called The Courage to Heal.
In the U.S., awareness of mental health problems as a common public health challenge has grown. An important example of societal support and awareness of the need for access to mental health services is reflected in the Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) of 1996 and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008.
Relatively recent research has established sleep problems as an important predictor of elevated suicide risk. Specific aspects of sleep problems that are associated with greater suicide risk are not clear, but insomnia severity, insomnia duration, nightmare severity, and nightmare duration are possibilities. Since there are multiple dimensions of sleep that may play a role in suicide risk, more attention is needed to understand the mechanisms by which sleep influences one’s risk for suicide.
Two years have passed since I publicly discussed my brother’s suicide and how it impacted me in this very forum. It was a huge step for me at the time, disclosing this secret that I guarded carefully. I had the sense that it would be cathartic for me, but I also knew I couldn’t take it back once it was out there. In retrospect it’s one of the most important things I’ve ever done.