Suicide Prevention Month Aims to Raise Awareness

The Out of the Darkness Walk will be September 15

FARGO, N.D. — On average, one person dies by suicide every 57 hours in North Dakota. That’s according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Suicide Prevention Month aims to raise awareness.

The topic hits close to home for Tristan Ross. He’s lost several friends to suicide.

“One of them even the night before, I was watching the Snapchats, he was at a party and just having a blast, and two hours I got a message from his boss letting me know, mind you, the Snapchats were from earlier in the morning, but I would’ve never had a clue,” he said.

That’s what drove him to become a volunteer with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

They’re having their Out of the Darkness Walk on September 15 to raise awareness and funds for research and educational programs.

Mental health professionals say if you think someone is thinking about suicide, one of the best things you can do is ask how they’re doing and to be there for them.

“People don’t think about hopelessness, depression, anxiety as being fatal diseases. It really is just as harmful and just as fatal as cancer, cardiac disease, and anything else that goes untreated. There is treatment, there is help, people do get better,” Jeff Herman, CEO/managing director for Prairie St. John’s, said.

Some of the warning signs include if someone talks about killing themselves, feeling hopeless or not having a reason to live.

They may be withdrawn, sleep too much or too little, or start giving away prized possessions.

If you find someone is thinking about suicide, keep them safe by figuring how much access they have to their planned method.

If you think they’re going to make an attempt escort them to a mental health service, and if it’s an emergency, call 911.

“Down the road if they do get help they might come back to you and thank you. Their life is more important than losing that friendship at that point in time,” Ross said.

North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota has the First Link hotline people can call at 211. There’s also the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1–800–273–TALK.