Category Archives: Suicide

Take 5 to Save Lives in Support of Suicide Prevention

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KALAP is asking everyone to Take 5 to Save Lives! In honor of National Suicide Prevention Month this September, KALAP has Partnered with Take 5 to Save Lives,  a public awareness campaign run by the National Council for Suicide Prevention in support of public awareness events including World Suicide Prevention Day, National Suicide Prevention Month, and National Suicide Prevention Week. The goal of the campaign is to encourage everyone to take five action steps that focus on preventing the tragedy of suicide. Check out take5tosavelives.org to learn more. The five steps include:  

  1. LEARN the warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors of suicide. Learning the warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors of suicide will better prepare you to take action and could help save a life. 
  2. KNOW how to help yourself and others who may be struggling. By knowing exactly what to say and do, you’ll be ready to act and keep yourself, your friends, and your family safe.  
  3. DO raise awareness, advocate for change, volunteer, and practice self-care. Learn ways you can bring the suicide prevention movement to your school, workplace, or entire community.  
  4. TALK about suicide, dispel myths, and reduce stigma. Learn how talking about suicide safely and responsibly can reduce negative stigma and lead to increased help-seeking.  
  5. SHARE Take 5 to Save Lives with others. Help spread the word about Take 5 to Save Lives. Pledge to share the campaign with at least 5 people using the Take 5 toolkit!

Make a difference by taking these 5 easy action steps and joining a worldwide movement to save lives. Visit the toolkit section of the website for more information on how you can support and share the Take 5 campaign.  

Real Talk with KALAP (September Episode) – Suicide Prevention

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In honor of National Suicide Prevention Month, KALAP Executive Director, Danielle Hall, recently sat down with Monice Kurz, Director of the Kansas Suicide Prevention Resource Center, to discuss suicide prevention.

Resources discussed in this video include:

Suicide Awareness Month 2020

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To raise awareness, the month of September is recognized as National Suicide Awareness Month. It is a time to share resources and stories in an effort to shed light on this highly stigmatized topic. Its mission is to bring awareness to suicide and to prevent it.

Suicide is an important subject matter we should be discussing more within the legal profession. According to the Center for Disease Control, lawyers rank fourth in the rate of suicide in terms of professions and have six times the suicide rate as the general population. In 2016, the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Study revealed 11% of lawyers reporting having suicidal thoughts at some point during their legal career. According to the Survey on Law Student Well-Being conducted that same year, 6% of law students reported having serious suicidal thoughts in the past year.

According to the American Association of Suicidology, the warning signs of acute suicide risk include:

  • Threatening to hurt or kill him or herself, or talking of wanting to hurt or kill him/herself; and or,
  • Looking for ways to kill him/herself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means; and/or,
  • Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary.

It is important to note these warning signs are not always communicated directly or outwardly.

Additional warning signs include:

  • Increased substance (alcohol or drug) use
  • No reason for living; no sense of purpose in life
  • Anxiety, agitation, unable to sleep or sleeping all of the time
  • Feeling trapped – like there’s no way out
  • Hopelessness
  • Withdrawal from friends, family and society
  • Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
  • Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking
  • Dramatic mood changes
  • Giving away prized possessions or seeking long-term care for pets

If you know someone who may be having thoughts of suicide, please visit bethe1to.com for more information on helping someone in crisis. If you have had thoughts of suicide, please seek help by calling KALAP for immediate assistance or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to speak with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.