Stop Suicide San Joaquin
Working Together to Prevent Suicides
Stop Suicide of San Joaquin is a an integrated group of local Suicide Prevention services formed to address the growing problem of Suicide. If you suspect someone is having suicidal thoughts start the conversation. By asking the question you are not putting the idea into their head.
Some Key Signs to look for in individuals:
- Emotional crisis due to job loss, legal trouble, loss of a loved one or newly diagnosed illness
- Major change in behavior: depression, violence, anger/aggression, alcohol or drug use
- Increased impulsiveness, risk taking reckless behavior
- Expressing a desire to die or end his or her own life
- Putting affairs in order, giving a way prized possessions, impulse purchase of a firearm
- Withdrawing from activities they used to enjoy
- The risk is greater if a behavior is new or has increased and if it seems related to a painful event, loss, or change.
Some of the key factors to help reduce Suicide:
- Work within your community to reduce isolation of your friends, neighbors, co-workers and others. This simple act can help Save Lives
- Be Aware of those in your sphere of influence
- Watch for changes in individual behaviors, do you notice these behaviors:
- Neglecting a normally well-kept yard
- Papers and mail piling-up
- No longer as friendly as usual
- Recently lost a loved one
- Recently lost a companion animal
Why not reach out with a neighborly visit today?
Risk Factors
If you or someone you know is experiencing one or more of the symptoms below for more than two weeks, consider getting more information and help:
In adults:
- Confused thinking
- Long-lasting sadness or irritability
- Extreme highs and lows in mood
- Excessive fear, worry or anxiety
- Social withdrawal
- Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Strong feelings of anger
- Delusions or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that others do not)
- Increasing inability to cope with daily problems and activities
- Thoughts of suicide
- Denial of obvious problems
- Many unexplained physical problems
- Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol
In older children and pre-teens:
- Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol
- Inability to cope with daily problems and activities
- Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
- Excessive complaints of physical problems
- Defying authority, skipping school, stealing or damaging property
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Long-lasting negative mood, often along with poor appetite and thoughts of death
- Frequent outbursts of anger
In younger children:
- Changes in school performance
- Poor grades despite strong efforts
- Excessive worry or anxiety
- Hyperactivity
- Persistent nightmares
- Persistent disobedience and/or aggressive behavior
- Frequent temper tantrums
Courtesy of WebMD
Staying Positive
Mental Health America’s Live Your Life Well campaign offers 10 useful tips for living a full, enjoyable life:
- Connect with others.Spend more time with family members and friends, and develop new relationships by taking classes, doing volunteer work or joining a club that interests you.
- Stay positive.Learn to avoid negative thought patterns and focus on feeling grateful for the positive things in your life.
- Be physically active. Strive for 30 minutes of daily moderate aerobic activity, and squeeze in additional exercise by playing with your children or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Help others.In addition to looking for volunteer opportunities, do little things like smiling at a stranger or holding the elevator for a co-worker.
- Get enough sleep.Being tired and having low energy affects every aspect of your life.
- Create joy and satisfaction.Read humorous books, do something you enjoyed as a child or treat yourself to a massage.
- Eat well.Choose a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, while minimizing saturated fats, salt and added sugars.
- Take care of your spirit. Join a religious institution, pray regularly or learn to meditate. Look for the good in yourself and others.
- Deal better with hard times.When you have an upsetting experience, try writing about it to organize your thoughts. When faced with a problem, make a list of possible solutions and consider the merits of each.
- Get professional help if you need it.Visit our resource sectionto explore helpful resources in your community.
Pursuing overall wellness can help people cope with mental health challenges and is a vital part in the road to recovery. Speak Up. Ask for help and get on the path to true wellness.
Prevention
Some Key Suicide Prevention Resources:
- SJ County Behavioral Health Services 209-468-8686
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 1-800-273-8255
- Crisis text line 741741
- SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY RESOURCES: 211SJ.ORG
- Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255, press 1
- Veterans CrisisLine.net Text 838255
- Local police/sheriff can perform a wellness check
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Harvard.edu(Means Matter Campaign)
Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO)
What is a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO)?
In many high-profile shootings, family members of the shooters saw their loved ones engage in dangerous behaviors and grew concerned about their risk of harming themselves or othes– even before any violence occurred. In fact, it is common for families to be the first to know when loved ones are in crisis in many incidents of interpersonal violence and suicide that take place across this country every day. The Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVR
- O) offers family members, household members, and law enforcement a tool for temporarily preventing access to firearms by these loved ones in crisis.
A GVRO is a civil court order, signed by a judge, that temporarily prohibits someone (the “subject”) who is at risk of hurting themselves or others from possessing or purchasing any guns or ammunition.
By intervening to temporarily remove guns and ammunition already possessed and prohibit new gun and ammunition purchases, the GVRO creates safer circumstances for the individual to seek treatment (e.g., for substance abuse or mental disorders) or engage other resources to address the underlying causes of the dangerous behaviors. The GVRO is based on the long-standing infrastructure and procedure of domestic violence laws (in place in all 50 states) and involves a court hearing and clearly defined due process protections. Individuals have been able to apply for GVROs in California since January 1, 2016.
See https://speakforsafety.org/ for more information about Gun Violence Restraining Orders.