September is National Suicide Prevention Month and in order to prevent suicide people need to have open and honest conversations about what to look out for and how to show support to the people in their lives who might be struggling with their mental health.

John Bigger, Cape Fear Regional Health’s Corporate Director of Psychiatric Services, spoke with GFBJ about suicide prevention and the importance of mental health in the workplace.

“If you work a nine to five job, and then you go home, you eat dinner, and you hang out from six till, say, 10 or 11. You spend more waking time with your coworkers than you do your family. So your coworkers are going to know you as well. If somebody comes to work and you notice they seem depressed, or they seem down in the dumps, or they seem to be talking about ending [their] life or anything like that, speak up and talk to them. Support them,” stated Bigger.

Keep an eye out for these behaviors in friends, family and coworkers:

• Offhand remarks about plans to kill themselves
  • Pay extra attention if they demonstrate that they have a plan for how they would do it. This is a sign that the risk is more urgent.
• Hopeless about the future
• Giving away belongings and important items
• Expressing that they feel like a burden to others

Visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness website for a comprehensive list of warning signs and risks.

If someone exhibits suicidal behaviors, ask them directly if they have thought about harming themselves or made a plan to harm themselves. It’s a common misconception that asking puts the idea in their head, but professionals have stated that this is not the case.

Over the last several years society has made great strides in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health, but there is still more work to be done.

“There's been a tremendous amount of stigma with seeking help…It's called mental illness for a reason. It’s just like diabetes is an illness, and heart problems are illnesses, you seek help, and there should be no shame in doing so. And we encourage people to, if you see something, speak up about it. Talk to that person about it, but just do it in a gentle approach so that they know that you're caring about them. You're not stigmatizing them or calling them crazy or insane or anything like that. You're just trying to get them some assistance that they might need,” explained Bigger.

Mental health care is health care. Individuals struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide can call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to speak with a counselor.