Urgent care situations often require an immediate response from church leaders. This overview outlines major steps you should take in addressing the threat of a suicide. These action steps are explored in greater depth and detail in the remainder of this packet.
Immediate Concerns
If there is any indication of a suicide attempt in process or imminent, and if it is at all possible, call in the police, paramedics, or intervene yourself (unless firearms are present).
A Preventable Tragedy? Congregations and ministries work together to take on the complex issue of suicide. By Peri Stone-Palmquist
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The pastor seemed to do everything right. He listened actively, provided emotional support, and counseled the depressed woman for an entire year.
But she took her own life anyway.
It was a time for the church to use its greatest strengths. But like the pastor, some members of the church didn't know precisely how to respond or help survivors. At the wake, one member approached the grieving daughter.
Saving the Suicidal Increased knowledge and persistent hope are two of the church’s most potent weapons. by Jolene L. Roehlkepartain
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Pam was a straight-A student, president of the church youth group, and a top competitor in state track.
Just a year before graduation, however, her parents found her dead in the car, the exhaust pipe stuffed with rags.
One week after delivering a sermon on hope in a world of growing despair, Herbert W. Chilstrom, bishop of the Minnesota Synod for the Lutheran Church in America, found a family member ...
Warning Signs These indicators of stress can provide clues that a person is in danger of suicide. by Building Church Leaders
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There are a number of warning signs or red flags that should arouse suspicion that a person is contemplating suicide. Each symptom alone is only a sign of stress and may not mean the person is on the verge of committing suicide. But each should be taken seriously. These include:
Personality changes: Withdrawal from friends and family; anxiety; hyperactivity; restlessness; extreme fatigue; apathy; difficulty ...
When the Call Comes Take these specific steps when there’s someone on the phone threatening suicide. by James D. Berkley
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Most suicidal people don't want to die. That's why they call. They're using their next-to-last trick from a bag that's nearly empty. Our task: keeping a precious life intact. Here are the steps to take once the call comes in.
Engagement
The initial moments of the conversation are terribly important. That's why engaging the caller in conversation is so crucial. Gary Gulbranson, senior pastor of Westminster ...
ARTICLE Suicide: An Overview The first step in a prevention program is to acknowledge the reality of the problem. by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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Each year more than 30,000 persons in the United States take their own life. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death and the third leading cause among persons who are 15 to 24. More persons die by suicide than by homicide. Each year nearly 500,000 persons make a suicide attempt serious enough to receive emergency room treatment. Millions have suicidal thoughts.
ARTICLE Myths and Realities Some “common knowledge” about the risk of suicide can be uncommonly perilous. by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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Experts speak of common misunderstandings that stand in the way of suicide prevention.
Myth: Persons who talk about suicide rarely actually complete suicide; they just want attention and should be challenged in order to call their bluff.
The truth is that persons who talk about suicide are serious and may be giving a clue or warning of their intentions. They should not be challenged but given assistance ...
ARTICLE Job One: Assess the Risk Take these steps to learn the likelihood that a person will carry out a suicide threat. by Loren L. Townsend
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Understanding the following risk factors can help you make appropriate decisions about intervention with depressed parishioners.
Suicide Risk Factors
Men are at higher risk than women. Men complete suicide at a rate four to five times higher than women, and European-American men are twice as likely as men of other racial and ethnic groups to take their own life. This observation is age related. The ...
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