{"id":20446,"date":"2024-09-22T20:14:35","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T00:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/?post_type=wfsu-news&#038;p=20446"},"modified":"2024-09-22T20:41:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T00:41:11","slug":"florida-is-learning-to-prevent-suicide-from-experts-in-loss","status":"publish","type":"wfsu-news","link":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/florida-is-learning-to-prevent-suicide-from-experts-in-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida is learning to prevent suicide \u2014 from experts in loss"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-20446-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/cpa.ds.npr.org\/s390\/audio\/2024\/09\/suicideprevention091924d.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/cpa.ds.npr.org\/s390\/audio\/2024\/09\/suicideprevention091924d.mp3\">https:\/\/cpa.ds.npr.org\/s390\/audio\/2024\/09\/suicideprevention091924d.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>**A note to our listeners this next story covers the topics of suicide and loss**<\/p>\n<p>Chris and Martha Thomas are busy in September. It\u2019s Suicide Prevention Month. They lost their daughter Ella to suicide six-and-a-half years ago. Now they teach others how to recognize the signs. It\u2019s part of an effort to keep other families from experiencing an unimaginable loss.<\/p>\n<p>To see a picture of the Thomases before Ella died is to believe in a happy family. Her smile was radiant. Her parents, Chris and Martha Thomas, say she adored her younger brother Solomon, who now plays for the New York Jets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, like Chris says, suicide is indiscriminate,\u201d said Martha. \u201cBut Ella was sexually assaulted at the University of Arkansas and did not talk to us about it for quite some time, she was so ashamed. But everything started to unravel for her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After Ella\u2019s death, Martha says it felt like she was in a different world.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen our daughter died, people didn\u2019t want to talk to us about it. Like, people became visibly uncomfortable if we said her name,\u201d said Martha. \u201cAnd we wouldn\u2019t stop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Thomases began to work with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Through Solomon\u2019s advocacy in the NFL, other partnerships grew. Recently, the two presented at the Florida Behavioral Health Association conference. But Chris says that at first, he and Martha couldn\u2019t accept the idea that suicide can be prevented.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026because our thought was, \u2018Well, why didn\u2019t we prevent Ella from dying?\u2019 But the reality is with the right therapy, training, the right resources, people CAN survive,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you understand why people are dying, because they\u2019re in pain, they\u2019re lonely, they\u2019re isolated \u2013 there are significant changes of behavior \u2013 then we can start addressing it and help save lives. So, our mission is to help transform the way people communicate and connect about mental health.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Communication can be a big part of helping people who are thinking about suicide. Jonathan Gomez is the 988 Program Coordinator at 211 Big Bend. That\u2019s a suicide hotline that anyone can call or text to be connected with someone who can help. It\u2019s confidential and free. Gomez says his job is listening to people who need someone to listen.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many people have brought these things up to their family, to their friends, co-workers \u2013 and are told things like, \u2018Oh, get over it. It\u2019s not that bad\u2019 or \u2018That\u2019s nothing, you should see what happened to me,\u2019\u201d Gomez said. \u201cSo, at minimum, people know that when they reach out to us, they\u2019re going to get someone who is going to respect the experiences that they\u2019re having, and we recognize that crisis is something that\u2019s self-defined.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gomez says it\u2019s rare that someone is reaching out because of suicidal ideation without some underlying reason\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026some mental health condition, a traumatic experience, if they recently lost someone, if they were recently sexually assaulted, if it\u2019s a domestic violence situation\u2026there\u2019s a lot of things that go hand in hand. Like substance use \u2013 that can sometimes \u2013 it\u2019s not a predictor for suicidal ideation, but they do go hand in hand sometimes.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Chris and Martha Thomas are still struggling with that question. But they\u2019re trying to turn their loss into someone else\u2019s gain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw this Maya Angelou quote this morning: \u2018Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn\u2019t know before you learned it,\u2019\u201d Martha said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s\u2026We try most days to be able to do that, but it\u2019s also what motivates us to help other people learn so they know more what to do than we did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A study from Pew published earlier this year shows a rise suicide among young Black people, like Ella. Overall rates of suicide among people ages 10 to 19 are trending down.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https:\/\/988lifeline.org\/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_campaign=onebox&amp;data=05|02|margie@wfsu.org|105f3db438ae48d395b208dcd9a20678|a36450ebdb0642a78d1b026719f701e3|0|0|638624537128093642|Unknown|TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0=|0|||&amp;sdata=9cF2PLsd2qIjr2gwaujEHtPb5uk7v3jI0COorhbVUwg=&amp;reserved=0\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">9-8-8<\/a> to reach the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><b>Suicide Warning Signs for Adults<\/b><br \/>\n<i>Courtesy of 211 Big Bend<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Risk is greater if a behavior is new or has increased, and if it seems related to a painful event, loss, or change.<\/p>\n<p>* Talking about or making plans for suicide.<\/p>\n<p>* Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly.<\/p>\n<p>* Talking about being a burden to others.<\/p>\n<p>* Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain.<\/p>\n<p>* Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs.<\/p>\n<p>* Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live.<\/p>\n<p>* Sleeping too little or too much.<\/p>\n<p>* Withdrawing or feeling isolated.<\/p>\n<p>* Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge.<\/p>\n<p>* Displaying extreme mood swings.<\/p>\n<p>If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org, or reach out to a mental health professional. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2024 WFSU<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":20447,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","wds_primary_category":0},"categories":[],"tags":[1136,1135],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Florida is learning to prevent suicide \u2014 from experts in loss - WFSU Local Routes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/florida-is-learning-to-prevent-suicide-from-experts-in-loss\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Florida is learning to prevent suicide \u2014 from experts in loss - 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