Take 5 To Save Lives The Take 5 to Save Lives campaign, sponsored by the National Council for Suicide Prevention (NCSP) encourages everyone to take 5 minutes out of their day and complete the five action items below on World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10, 2017.
1. LEARN THE SIGNS Take a few minutes to learn the warning signs of suicide. Although it may not always be obvious, individuals experiencing an emotional crisis usually exhibit one or more of the warning signs of suicide. Your ability to identify the signs will better prepare you act and could help save a life. Get help immediately if you see or hear any of the following warning signs.
2. DO YOUR PART Everyone has a role in preventing suicide. What’s yours? Teachers, parents, students, caregivers, and countless other stakeholders all play a vital role in preventing the tragedy of suicide. Preventing suicide is a collective responsibility. Learn how you can do more to raise awareness and prevent suicide.
Physicians are known to die by suicide at a higher rate than the general population. Has there been progress in preventing physician suicide and what more can be done? One of my medical school classmates died by suicide during his internship and this always reminds me how anyone can be impacted. The CDC published an article last year on suicide by occupation in 17 states. Suicide rates for healthcare practitioners (which includes physicians) in these 17 states were: 17.4/100,000 overall, 31.6/100,000 for males and 13.3/100,000 for females. In the general population in this same age group in and in the same states in 2012, the corresponding suicide rates were: 18.7/100,000, 29.5/100,000 and 8.0/100,000, respectively, indicating that suicide rates among healthcare practitioners overall and among males were similar to the general population in those states. The largest difference appears among female physicians. Note that the data from 17 states is not nationally representative. We know that rates of suicide, in general, across the population and across most age groups are going up. Several resources exist to help communities and the workplace address suicide. Several of the prevention strategies and approaches listed in the recently released report, Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices, are relevant to physicians and medical settings including, creating protective environments (e.g. promoting prosocial organizational policies and culture), promoting connectedness, identifying and supporting people at risk, and lessening harms and preventing future risk. SAEM has joined with the suicide prevention community around the globe as an official partner in the Take 5 to Save Lives campaign, sponsored by the National Council for Suicide Prevention (NCSP), to raise awareness for World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10.
3. PRACTICE SELF-CARE Make mental wellness a priority in your life. Research indicates that our mental fitness or wellness is crucial to our overall long-term health, and can even protect us from disease. Learn some tips for keeping mentally fit. Make it a priority!
4. REACH OUT Help is available and recovery is possible. If you or someone you know is in emotional distress you must reach out for help. You are not alone. Learn about different help options and how to take that first step in seeking help and care.
5. SPREAD THE WORD Pledge to tell 5 people about Take 5 and WSPD. Let’s get people talking! By sharing the Take 5 campaign with 5 other people we can raise awareness of problem of suicide and equip people with easy tools to help themselves and others. Share the campaign on or before World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10, 2017. Together we can all make a difference!
17