Promoting Hope, Preventing Suicide

Research and advice on preventing teen and adult suicide.

by Elana Premack Sandler, L.C.S.W., M.P.H.

Elana Premack Sandler, LCSW, MPH, is a public health social worker specializing in violence and injury prevention and adolescent health promotion. See full bio

November 4, 2009

What rates in different nations might tell us about suicide

What do you think - is homicide more common than suicide? Turns out, it depends on where you live. Read More

October 28, 2009

Behavioral health versus mental health

The terms "behavioral health" and "mental health" are often used interchangeably. But, do they really mean the same thing? I've made two short lists below as I've tried to work out what's good, and not so good, about the term "behavioral health," and am very curious to hear what you think.

Three things I like about the term behavioral health: Read More

October 21, 2009

America’s Big Secret

What's your secret?

That's the question Frank Warren is asking when he encourages people to contribute to PostSecret, an ongoing community art project in which, according to the blog for the project, people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. Read More

October 14, 2009

What are the suicide warning signs to remember?

Several years ago, the American Association of Suicidology developed a mnemonic to aid in remembering the warning signs for suicide. It's quite a list, so a quick way of recalling the most important warning signs can be very beneficial. The mnemonic developed, IS PATH WARM? Read More

October 7, 2009

How France Télécom has turned the world’s attention to suicide prevention

If nothing else, the deaths of France Télécom employees have turned our attention to the importance of seeing employees as people, complex beings with complex needs, rather than cogs in the wheel of progress, industry, and finance. Read More

September 29, 2009

Is suicide by train changing how we think about prevention?

My beloved Washington, D.C. Metro has been in the news lately, and it's not for being the cleanest and most organized public transportation system in the country.

Unfortunately, it's for being the means by which a number of Washington-area residents are choosing to end their lives. Read More

September 23, 2009

How college campuses are reframing, revamping, and repositioning mental health

As yet another school year kicks off, I want to draw attention to college and university campuses that are working to increase accessibility to mental health services by renaming, repositioning, and de-stigmatizing these services. Read More

September 16, 2009

Awareness of What?

I want to suggest that the goal of all awareness activities should not be to prevent suicide. Read More

September 11, 2009

Depression and Suicide: At Least 40% of Statistics Are Made Up

Hands up - how many of you have seen the statistic "mental illness is found in approximately 90% of those who've died by suicide"? Read More

September 10, 2009

Stigma – It’s On My Mind

What if I told you that I had a cold and was feeling exhausted, couldn't focus, and was really irritable? That I'm taking medication to help me deal with it? How about if I took a day or two off from work to hopefully feel better?

Would you judge me?

Most of us have things about ourselves we wish we could improve. Lasting change is difficult—many of our habits are deeply ingrained, and certain aspects of ourselves, such as core personality attributes, may be immutable. But many more things can be changed.

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