Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition

Please, Don’t Ignore Signs of Suicide

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So many people struggle with a mental illness in silence. Suicidal thoughts are actually not that uncommon. But people who experience them are too often ashamed or embarrassed to speak about it. Or some figure, “I can handle it,” and put on a happy face. Loved ones or friends may be concerned about someone’s well-being. But stigma prevents them from asking if they are thinking of harming themselves.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a time to spread greater awareness about suicide and support those who may be struggling.

Suicide is preventable, and researchers and practitioners have made important strides in the past 20 years to improve way to assess suicidality and provide treatment for the condition.

The Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition is urging local healthcare and behavioral health providers to adopt a framework of best practices known as the Zero Suicide Model.

This involves better screening tools for identifying people at risk of suicide. When suicidal ideation is a concern, Zero Suicide calls for creating safety plans to deescalate a suicidal crisis and lethal means counseling to ensure that weapons or medications are kept at a safe distance. Suicide-specific treatments include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Another major advance is the introduction in 2022 of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24/7. You can also call 988 if you are concerned about a loved one, friend, or colleague. Veterans and/or their loved ones and friends can call 988 and then press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line

Locally, 988 calls go to the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County (SPCS), one of 200 call centers across the country.

When people call or text 988, or connect to chat online, they connect to trained counselors that are part of the Lifeline network. They listen, understand how the caller’s problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

SPCS maintains a “warm line” for people who are not in crisis yet may be feeling lonely and need someone to talk to without judgement. The Ithaca Warm Line number is (607) 210 8328.

SPCS also operates Ithaca LGBTQ+ Peer Support, designed to be a safe space to engage in casual conversations, share experiences, or get support for crisis situations or thoughts of suicide. The Ithaca LGBTQ+ Peer Support number is (607) 276 1771.

The Lifeline is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and administered by Vibrant Emotional Health. SAMSHA provides a Partner Toolkit to help promote the 988 number and other suicide prevention services.

According to the 988 administrator, numerous studies have shown that callers feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful after speaking with a Lifeline counselor. 

Take a moment to review the warning signs for suicide, as provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Be sure to get help for yourself or others if you see the signs. You may save a life.

According to AFSP, something to look out for when concerned that a person may be suicidal is a change in behavior or the presence of entirely new behaviors. This is of sharpest concern if the new or changed behavior is related to a painful event, loss, or change. Most people who take their lives exhibit one or more warning signs, either through what they say or what they do.

Warning sign: Talk

If a person talks about:

Killing themselves

Feeling hopeless

Having no reason to live

Being a burden to others

Feeling trapped

Unbearable pain

Warning sign: Behavior

Behaviors that may signal risk, especially if related to a painful event, loss or change:

Increased use of alcohol or drugs

Looking for a way to end their lives, such as searching online for methods

Withdrawing from activities

Isolating from family and friends

Sleeping too much or too little

Visiting or calling people to say goodbye

Giving away prized possessions

Aggression

Fatigue

Warning sign: Mood

People who are considering suicide often display one or more of the following moods:

Depression

Anxiety

Loss of interest

Irritability

Humiliation/Shame

Agitation/Anger

Relief/Sudden Improvement

For local, state, and national resources, visit The Sophie Fund’s suicide prevention page.

Tompkins Town Hall: Safeguarding Youth Mental Health

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America is experiencing a youth mental health and suicide crisis, as kids grow up in a world that is increasingly stressful and scary for them, according to Tiffany Bloss, executive director of the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County.

Tiffany Bloss speaks at youth mental health town hall

Bloss said that a quarter of the young people who die in the United States today take their own lives. She said the causes of suicide are complex, but pointed to stress factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic, academic pressures, addictive social media, poor family relationships, and financial anxiety.

“They are trying to navigate so many things in their world, and it is a scary place to be right now. And, with social media, there is no escape,” she said.

Bloss was a featured speaker at “Youth Mental Health & Wellness,” a community town hall hosted by the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition at the Tompkins County Public Library on October 5.

Bloss said that suicide is preventable, and emphasized the importance of normalizing discussions about mental health and being aware of warning signs that could be indicators of suicidal thoughts.

“We talk about our physical health all the time. We don’t ask about mental health. If your gut tells you that something is kind of going on for your youth, you’ve really got to ask them questions about suicide and see what we can do and open up that conversation,” she said.

Some of the warning signs Bloss described were not going out with friends anymore, failed relationships, slipping grades, changes in sleep patterns, excessive agitation or anger, and talking about dying by suicide.

She said that her agency and others in Tompkins County offer support services to address mental health challenges and emotional crises. She said that when people have serious concerns about themselves or someone else, it is wise to call 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Melanie Little, director of Education and Youth Services at the Mental Health Association of Tompkins County, spoke about the importance of recognizing risk factors can make youth more vulnerable to developing a mental health disorder.

Melanie Little provides “Mental Health 101”

Among the risk factors are trauma, substance abuse, social marginalization, lack of supportive relationships, a physical illness or disability, and bullying, she said. She said mental disorders are increasingly common in youth, with 1 in 3 teens experiencing anxiety, 1 in 5 major depression, and 1 in 5 eating disorders.

Little emphasized the need to avoid perpetuating stigma around mental health. She listed some common examples of stigmatizing language that can be harmful to young people struggling with a disorder.

“Everyone has anxiety. Some people are just stronger than you are.”

“Therapy and medications are just scams. You don’t need them.”

“What do you mean you can’t get out of bed? It’s not like your legs aren’t working.”

“Kids can’t have mental illness. What have they got to worry about in life?”

“All women are a bit bipolar.”

Pat Breux, former director of School and Youth Initiatives at the Suicide Prevention Center of New York, discussed the vital role that schools play in preventing youth suicide.

She said that the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention as well as New York State policy highlight schools as important settings for upstream prevention through community education as well as intervention with individuals at risk of suicide.

“We take an approach that we call ‘confident, connected, caring school communities.’ What that means is everyone has a role to play. Everyone is challenged to have the competencies to notice, and know where, when, and how to access help for somebody when somebody’s in need,” she said.

Breux said schools can help educate parents about mental health starting when the children enter kindergarten. “We need to start having those conversations and preparing parents for the idea that mental health crises are pretty common by the time kids get into middle school or high school. And you need to be able to recognize that early and know how to get help for your kid,” she said.

In New York State last year, Breux said, more 5,000 children went to the emergency department for self-injurious behavior.

“About 2,000 of those kids ended up hospitalized. Where did the other 3,000 end up the next morning? Back in school. Were they fixed? No. There are kids who are going to struggle with suicidality who need access to education. They need to be able to move through life with that. How do we create the environment that those kids can be okay and make sure that we’re having some kind of eyes on them and they have access to the supports that they need at the level that they need?”

Breux distributed copies of “A Guide for Suicide Prevention for New York Schools,” a booklet prepared by the Suicide Prevention Center of New York that provides information for training school staff and educating parents as well as targeted and individualized interventions against suicide risk.

Town Hall organized by the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition

Other speakers at the town hall included Shawn Goodman, a psychologist in the Ithaca Central School District; Nicole Roulstin, Contact Center Manager for 211 Tompkins/Cortland; a student at Tompkins Cortland Community College; and Randy Brown, a member of the Tompkins County Legislature.

Goodman, an author of young adult fiction and nonficton, gave remarks about his latest book, “How to Survive Your Parents: A Teen’s Guide to Thriving in a Difficult Family,” published in September by Penguin Random House LLC.

Goodman said several things inspired him to write the self-help manual. He said that he noticed that some people his age were still struggling with their childhood issues. And while he found books to help adults heal their issues, he couldn’t find any books for kids to help them before they became adults themselves.

“And I had kids coming in essentially asking for that, saying ‘This is going on with my dad. This is going on with my mom. I want my relationship to be better. How do I do that?’”

Goodman said his favorite strategy for living in a difficult family is to learn how to manage the situation, not the relationship.

“Many kids are holding the entire relationship and feeling responsibility for it. I tell kids it’s not your job to change your parents’ behavior. And even if it were your job, it’s mission impossible. So instead, just try and manage each situation. Throughout the book, if kids stick with it, I’m really hoping that they’re going to be building confidence in navigating difficult situations and improve their outcomes, one moment at a time,” he said.

The Tompkins Cortland Community College student shared a personal story of a suicidal crisis that began before she turned 11. She said that while she grew up in a supportive family, an attentive youth pastor and later a therapist played crucial roles in guiding her on a path to healing. “Sometimes talking to parents can be really challenging especially for a middle schooler,” she said.

The student noted that that while she is feeling fantastic and is enjoying college today, speaking about her ordeal is still difficult. She said she agreed to speak about it publicly for the first time at the town hall because “I thought it was a good idea to bring awareness.”

In her presentation, Roulstin provided an overview of how the 2-1-1 hotline can help Tompkins residents access a multitude of community services for support, including food, housing, transportation, health and mental health, utilities, legal aid, veteran needs, job listings, and tax assistance. She said the hotline uses a database with over 1,600 local, state, and federal resources.

Tompkins County Legislator Randy Brown: “The issue of our time”

Brown provided the town hall’s welcome remarks, saying “I think mental health and wellness is the issue of our time, more important than any other issue that I can think of. When I ran for the legislature a few years ago, it was the number one issue for me and still is. I think that there’s more that we can do as a county.”

The Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition is comprised of health agencies, community organizations, and individual members who share a determination to prevent suicide deaths in our community. It is a collective of volunteers that strives for diverse and inclusive representation and encourages collaboration for achieving goals.

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.

Ithaca Town Hall: Youth Mental Health & Wellness

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Our young people often put on a good face. But when they are anonymously surveyed about how they’re doing, their responses are concerning. In fact, more than one-third of middle and high school students in Tompkins County say they feel depressed or sad on most days and that “sometimes I think life is not worth it.”

“Our youth are struggling,” said town hall organizer Tiffany Bloss

A community town hall will be held at the Tompkins County Public Library on Saturday October 5 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. to throw light on the mental health challenges many of our young people are experiencing.

“Youth Mental Health & Wellness Town Hall,” organized and hosted by the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition, will provide information on how to support the well-being of our youth and hear testimonies from young community members themselves.

The event, part of the United in Kindness series of events in Tompkins County, will feature short Ted Talk-style presentations with an opportunity for Q&A with like local mental health leaders.

Speakers include Melanie Little, director of Training and Peer Education at the Mental Health Association of Tompkins County; Tiffany Bloss, executive director of Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County; and Pat Breux, former director of School and Youth Initiatives at the Suicide Prevention Center of New York.

Shawn Goodman, an author and psychologist in the Ithaca Central School District, will share anecdotes from his new book, How to Survive Your Parents.

Organizer Tiffany Bloss, executive director of the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County, said she encouraged youth as well as their caregivers to attend.

“This is such an important topic for our community. Our youth are struggling. There are so many pressures in their lives that other generations did not have to deal with: heightened academic standards, family pressures, compromised school safety, a global pandemic, and the ever-present social media. At the town hall, we will be discussing all of these topics and more,” Bloss said.

Bloss emphasized the critical importance of tending to mental health in youth.

“Mental health is vital to the overall health and well-being in a person’s life. The adolescent years are crucial for developing social and emotional habits that build a foundation for mental well-being. These include good sleeping habits, regular movement of the body, self-care routines, developing problem-solving and interpersonal skills, and learning to manage emotions. Protective and supportive environments within the family, at school and in the wider community are important to a youth’s mental health,” Bloss said.

Town hall attendees are encouraged to register (not mandatory) at https://bit.ly/4gsfGr6.

The Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition is comprised of health agencies, community organizations, and individual members who share a determination to prevent suicide deaths in our community. It is a collective of volunteers that strives for diverse and inclusive representation and encourages collaboration for achieving goals.

The coalition’s goals include:

Improving the quality and enhance the use of data sources and systems for suicide prevention in Tompkins County;

Advancing quality improvement for suicide care in all Tompkins County healthcare and behavioral health settings;

Reducing suicide attempts in the youth population, including students attending colleges in Tompkins County;

Reducing access to lethal means for suicide within high-risk demographic populations as determined by national, state, and local data;

And advocating for policies and practices designed to prevent suicides in the community.

Yes, YOU Can Help Prevent Suicide

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September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a reminder for all of us to learn more about mental illness, suicide, and what we can do to help those who may be struggling.

One of the keys is to end the stigma that too often holds us back. Many people experience suicidal thoughts, but keep it to themselves. Others may notice somebody in an emotional crisis, but are timid to ask if they are thinking of harming themselves.

Nobody is fated to take their own lives. Suicide deaths are preventable, and many recent advances enable us to better prevent them.

These advances include better screening tools for identifying people at risk of suicide, improved care management protocols, upgraded crisis response measures, and suicide-specific therapy treatment. The Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition is urging local healthcare and behavioral health providers to adopt the Zero Suicide Model, which prescribes a package of best practices.

Another advance is the introduction in 2022 of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24/7. You can also call 988 if you are concerned about a loved one, friend, or colleague. Veterans and/or their loved ones and friends can call 988 and then press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.

Locally, 988 calls go to the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County (SPCS), one of 200 call centers across the country. When people call or text 988, or connect to chat online, they are connected to trained counselors that are part of the Lifeline network. Trained counselors listen, understand how the caller’s problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

Besides connecting through 988, Ithaca-based counselors can be reached by dialing (607) 272-1616.

The Lifeline is funded by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and administered by Vibrant Emotional Health. SAMSHA provides a Partner Toolkit to help all of us publicize the 988 number and other suicide prevention services.

According to Lifeline, numerous studies have shown that 988 callers feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful after speaking with a Lifeline counselor. 

“More people are understanding what it’s like to reach out for support and are becoming comfortable with that idea,” said Tiffany Bloss, SPCS executive director. “We are here, day or night. Call. Text. Website chat. Individuals can even email our helpline. We are here.”

The latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control serve as a reminder of America’s mental health crisis. Despite improvements in care, we have not turned the corner in reducing suicide deaths in the way prevention tools have produced significant declines in deaths related to cancer and heart disease.

After declining in 2019 and 2020, suicide deaths increased approximately 5 percent in the United States in 2021. Provisional estimates indicate that suicide deaths further increased by 1 percent in 2022, according to the CDC. One encouraging indicator is that suicide deaths among people aged 10-14 declined by 13 percent and among people aged 15-24 by 9 percent.

Overall, suicide rates have risen more than 30 percent in the past two decades.

Take a moment to review the warning signs for suicide, as provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Be sure to get help for yourself or others if you see the signs. You may save a life.

According to AFSP, something to look out for when concerned that a person may be suicidal is a change in behavior or the presence of entirely new behaviors. This is of sharpest concern if the new or changed behavior is related to a painful event, loss, or change. Most people who take their lives exhibit one or more warning signs, either through what they say or what they do.

Warning sign: Talk

If a person talks about:

Killing themselves

Feeling hopeless

Having no reason to live

Being a burden to others

Feeling trapped

Unbearable pain

Warning sign: Behavior

Behaviors that may signal risk, especially if related to a painful event, loss or change:

Increased use of alcohol or drugs

Looking for a way to end their lives, such as searching online for methods

Withdrawing from activities

Isolating from family and friends

Sleeping too much or too little

Visiting or calling people to say goodbye

Giving away prized possessions

Aggression

Fatigue

Warning sign: Mood

People who are considering suicide often display one or more of the following moods:

Depression

Anxiety

Loss of interest

Irritability

Humiliation/Shame

Agitation/Anger

Relief/Sudden Improvement

For local, state, and national resources, visit The Sophie Fund’s suicide prevention page.

Thank You, Mental Health Providers!

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Sunday May 12 is National Mental Health Provider Appreciation Day! The Sophie Fund joins the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition in saluting and celebrating our local mental health workforce.

“Thank You” poster @ East Seneca & North Tioga bus shelter

In a small token of appreciation, the coalition has placed “Thank You” posters at two bus shelters in Ithaca—at East Seneca Street & North Tioga Street, and at Cayuga Medical Center. The coalition has also placed public service announcement messages on two Ithaca radio stations throughout the month of May—Lite Rock 97.3 and Rewind 107.7.

“Appreciation” poster @ Cayuga Medical Center bus shelter

We show our appreciation for mental health providers who toil to help us address our mental health issues and enable us to lead happier and healthier lives.

At times, the clinicians, social workers, peer specialists, and others in the field sacrifice their own mental well-being in the service of our community’s health and wellness.

If you know a mental health provider, or are personally supported by one, consider reaching out to them on National Mental Health Provider Appreciation Day (and other times, too!) to express your appreciation. Even better, bake them some cookies or cupcakes, or invite them to share a meal. Small acts of kindness go a long way!

Click here to download poster PDF

Click here to download a shareable social media graphic