September marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2024, suicide claimed the lives of nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. This month, and every day, Episcopal Health Services (EHS) wants Rockaway’s residents to know that they’re never alone. Resources are available year-round for those who are struggling, guidance is available for loved ones who want to help, and there are upcoming events to help spread awareness.
On Friday, September 25, Episcopal Health Services (EHS) is hosting Mental Health Matters: Every Person Deserves Care and Compassion, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Arverne View, 57-17 Shore Front Parkway.
EHS describes it as “an interactive and educational community event, focused on mental health awareness, wellness and compassionate care for all.” The afternoon will feature raffles, giveaways, educational and community resources, massage, aromatherapy, Zumba, and light refreshments. Developed by EHS Behavioral Health Services and Behavioral Health Patient & Family Advisory Council, the event is free and open to all.
On Wednesday, September 30, EHS hosts a Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Walk and Talk Event: Changing the Narrative on Suicide, starting at 11:45 a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital Courtyard Garden at 327 Beach 19th St. Rain date: Friday, October 2. Staffers will join community members for a walk from the meeting point to the boardwalk and back again. Bring water and comfortable walking shoes.
EHS Vice President of Behavioral Health Tanya Barros MA, LMHC, CCTP, notes. “You’re literally walking in a group, and the conversation just flows. You meet people that work here, that live around here, people that use our services, people who are curious about our services, and people who are just supportive of this initiative.
“The goal is to change the narrative on suicide. So instead of making this something very difficult to talk about, we’re actually normalizing it. So you can literally be walking with a friend and they bring this up, and you can just continue to be human. To listen and hold space for this person.”
These programs are “all in support of Suicide Prevention Month,” Barros explained. “We wanted to take part because it gives us an opportunity to discuss the importance of suicide prevention. We realize there’s a lot of stigma around this. These are ways of introducing the topic that make it a little easier to have these difficult conversations.”
Although awareness has increased there is still work to be done. “There are still so many people struggling in silence, because they are afraid of being judged. Or just don’t know where to go to get the help,” Barros said. “The goal…is not just to get people talking about suicide, it’s normalizing conversation around mental health.” Putting it on a level with caring for physical health.
EHS’ recently opened Walsh Ambulatory Pavilion on Beach 19th St. and Brookhaven Ave, houses both their Community Mental Health Center, providing care for children, adolescents and adults, and Wellness and Recovery Center, serving adults 18 and older with a higher level of outpatient support.
To improve outcomes, EHS’ coordinated care model allows behavioral health providers, primary care physicians and social workers to communicate more effectively under one roof.
EHS physicians also work to identify mental health concerns early on by screening pediatric patients for depression and anxiety during routine medical visits. With behavioral health needs continuing to grow, their comprehensive care system provides patients with a therapist, a psychiatrist and access to individual therapy, group therapy, family counseling and addiction services. All available no matter what insurance a patient has or may not have.
When should people seek help? “Before they get into a crisis,” Barros said. “When you feel something is off. That’s the time.” Or simply when you’re struggling through difficult life situations. “You don’t have to wait for a great crisis,” she said.
EHS Department of Psychiatry psychologist Dr. David Statman adds, “It reduces the stigma to see mental health as just another service that you get. You walk in (where) you go for your physical, your checkup, your primary care and also you go there for your mental health care.
“Someone doesn’t need to have a mental diagnosis to benefit from something like therapy, someone to talk to.”
With suicide, it’s often a “confluence of isolation, limited access to care, and unaddressed stress that stacks up. The other part is access to lethal means,” Statman said.
“We all get overwhelmed by things in our lives, and often in the moment it can really be all encompassing and feel like ‘It’s always going to be this way. Nothing’s going to change.’ It can be those feelings of hopelessness,” he continued. “Most suicidal crises’ are shorter lived than people assume. It’s just that in the moment it kind of takes over. It’s about surviving the moment until things feel a little clearer, a little more hopeful.
“Sometimes people don’t realize or categorize themselves as suicidal.” There are those with active thoughts of suicide and others “who are having thoughts of ‘I hope I don’t wake up tomorrow. Or ‘What if I weren’t here?’”
Statman emphasized the difference between passive and active suicidal thoughts, noting that severe cases need immediate intervention. Do not hesitate-call 911.
For those dealing with suicidal thoughts, it’s important to reach out to those you trust, “even if it’s to say, ‘I don’t know what’s going on with me, but I know that something’s different’.”
In crisis prevention, it is important to encourage regular communications with loved ones, friends, and create open, trusting relationships. Having support, communicating directly, making a written safety plan with a mental health professional, restricting access to lethal means, and securing ongoing therapeutic and psychiatric care are all important. Especially during high-risk transition periods and/or for those who have attempted suicide before.
Approaching a loved one about this topic? Stratman says, “You don’t have to have the perfect script.
“The fact that you want to have this difficult, uncomfortable situation shows that you care.” Ask. Be open, direct-it makes the person feel seen and heard. “Avoid euphemisms or indirect language,” he said.
“The evidence shows that when you speak clearly and directly about suicide it does not put the idea in someone’s head.”
Be present and truly listen without judgment or trying to fix the problem. Next “keep them safe. Help them connect (with help). And follow up,” checking in with them regularly even afterward.
“These conversations are hard,” Statman said.
“The hardest part is starting the conversation.”
For help, call 988 for the suicide and crisis lifeline. Reach EHS at 718- 718-869-7000.
Photos courtesy EHS.
