LIVE AMA DISCUSSION WITH DR. JENNIFER CRUMLISH
In this thread, we will host a live forum AMA with Dr. Jennifer Crumlish!
This is a special event to honor Suicide Prevention Day. Learn more about @DrJenniferCrumlish and this event here.
We are glad you are here! Everyone is welcome to participate! Make sure to review the guidelines for posting a question below. Due to the sensitivity of this topic, any questions which fall outside these guidelines will be removed by a moderator.
---------> How to participate: At 4:00 PM ET you may start posting your questions! Dr. Crumlish will reply in the order they are posted.
Question Asking Guidelines -
Dr. Crumlish is able to answer your questions regarding:
1) Basic facts and information about suicide research
2) Reducing isolation around suicide
3) How to support someone who has lost a loved one to suicide & how you can help yourself if you've lost someone to suicide
4) Reducing Stigma around suicide
Questions pertaining to the below topics are not permitted.
1) How to manage suicidal users at 7 Cups.
2) If you are suicidal and need support
* If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the appropriate channels for help. 7 Cups is not a crisis hotline. The best thing our community can do to support you is to refer you to get help through the appropriate channels for help: 1-800-273-8255 or www.suicide.org*
Hello Dr Jennifer. In my teenage times I used to have suicidal tendencies. Coming from a conservative family, I never had the courage to open up to my family and discuss about it. My mother as a religious person used to criticize and judge those who choose suicide as a solution for their problems saying 'if they end their own life they will not be able to reach the paradise'. My father on the other hand used to say suicidal people choose to end everything because they are too weak for today's world. My question is, what do parents can support better their children who possibly be considering suicide?
what do parents can do to support better their children who might possibly be considering suicide?
I like this questions. Parents often impact us in ways they do not realize.
Hi Johnny
I think this is a great question-I think the thought of losing a child to suicide is so dreadful that some parents take the road of making it sound like it's the worst thing someone can do in hopes that that will deter their child. It's also, unfortunately, too easy to be judgmental about other people's behaviors, and that can get in the way of communication. I think suicide is very scary for a lot of people and some think that if you even ask about it, now you've given someone the idea that maybe they should try it. I think if parents can let their children know that no matter what the issue is, they will be there to help their children, that can go a long way.
I have had people who have attempted suicide explain to me that they feel like recovering alcoholics, in the sense that they count the days, monitor their progress and feel like they will always carry a label. Is it appropriate to support them in the same solution focused manner?
For some people, suicide may be something that lurks in the background for them and so like someone recovering from addiction, it is not something to be ignored. It can be very scary to be suicidal also, so for some of the people you know, this may be the way that they stay proactive about not falling back in to a crisis. I would encourage you to encourage them to try and keep doing the things that keep them motivated, stay active with things that they enjoy doing and not isolate when they feel down.
I agree that any suicidal thoughts or feelings should always be taken seriously and never ignored
Yes, definitely, but you'd be surprised how many people tell someone they are feeling badly and the response is, "oh it's not that bad is it?" And then where does someone go with that response!
it's really sad, and how so many feeling this way become isolated making their situation even worse
Is there any reason or evidence to suggest that the modern nature of popular culture/celebrity/success contributes to a perceived sense of inadequacy thus increasing the rate of suicide in younger people?
I think this can be the case, but for young people and teenagers, the social pressures of their peer group can be a big factor in how they end up feeling about themselves. Though I love the internet and spend too much time on facebook (!) I think that some aspects of social media are creating a false sense of everyday life and connection with others that makes life challenging. And it's a lot easier to be mean to someone over the internet than it is to their face and I think this is also a contributing factor to the issues teens face today.
twitter is trending today with #nevergiveup and #worldsuicidepreventionday how far can social media go in helping individuals who are feeling suicidal?
Pre-selected:
Is there anything wrong with having suicidal thoughts often, in the absence of significant depression or intent, if it is not causing distress?
I think that for many people suicidal thoughts can be common, and many people report times in their life when they've thought about it. If it's not causing distress, then it should not be an issue-we all have all kinds of thoughts that we never take action on and don't need to change.
When should suicide be prevented for an individual, and when is it a decision to be embraced as a means to end their suffering through suicide or assisted-suicide?
Good question and there was a "debate" in the New York Times about this today. One thing that I think that we don't do a good job of dealing with, at least here in the U.S. is that we let people suffer too much physical pain. I think that if we were more tolerant of people getting good treatment for pain and really making sure that pain is not an issue, it can definitely make someone who wants to die because they are physically suffering, much less interested in being dead. This is a controversial position, I realize, but I think we do not do enough to reduce suffering overall and then for some, suicide feels like the only option.
have you noticed a certain race being a higher number in suicides or a certain area of the world where more then other areas?
I just want to put in a plug for a documentary that I've found very moving about helping people in crisis. It was on HBO and it's called Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1. If you have any interest in some day doing crisis intervention work, this is the film for you to see what it's like.
The event is now concluded! HUGE thank you the wonderful @DrJenniferCrumlish! Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge with us! We are so honored to have you!
Thank you everyone, it was great being here with you today!
Thank you @DrJenniferCrumlish for your insight, I hope you join us again soon :)
@DrJenniferCrumlish, thank you for sharing your knowledge and professional insights with us. We really appreciate it.
@DrJenniferCrumlish, thank you for spending this time with us! I've learned a lot that will be useful both here and in real life, and I hope that others can draw as much from this discussion as I have. I appreciate the support and generosity you've shown by sharing your insight and knowledge with the community. I hope something like this can be done again, because this was extremely informative and beneficial, and I'd really love to get to ask more questions! Thanks again!
Thank you @DrJenniferCrumlish!!
Thank you so much @DrJenniferCrumlish for doing this, you're the best <3 I learnt so much from this!
Thanks @DrJenniferCrumlish for such a great discussion. We really appreciate your support to 7 Cups.
I appreciate your time Dr Jennifer. Thank you for answering all of our questions related to the subject. And thank you for the work you do.
Sometimes suicidal people can manifest their feelings into resentment and anger towards their nearest and dearest friends. At what point, if any, do you think it's fair to cut the person out of one's life, as much as you've tried to be a good friend, even if it could result in a dangerous impulsive reaction?
(never mind, haha)
