As we mark Suicide Prevention Awareness month in September, the experts are reminding all New Jersey residents they should speak up whenever a friend or loved one becomes severely depressed and makes even a passing reference to harming themselves.

(Artem Furman, ThinkStock)
(Artem Furman, ThinkStock)
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"If you are in contact with a friend or loved one who reports wanting to die, or you find that they're doing research about killing or hurting themselves, expressing feelings of being trapped or worthless, or if they feel like they're a burden to others, pay attention to them, ask a few questions, express concern for the party, say hey, I hear you saying these things, I'm worried about you are you having thoughts about suicide? Use the word," said Bill Zimmerman, clinician supervisor for the New Jersey Suicide Prevention Hopeline, which is operated by University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC) at Rutgers University.

Zimmerman said a common myth is if you ask someone or mention the word suicide to them, you're going to increase the chances of them committing suicide or make them start to think about it, which is untrue.

"Suicide is misunderstood," he said. "Most people who are thinking about taking their own lives have a problem with their perspective - on the one hand they are dealing with unbearable pain and cannot imagine any way out - so from their perspective they have two options, continue to suffer or end their life, and our job is to help people develop and see other options to those two, we want to develop door number three."

Zimmerman said help is available 24-7 by dialing 855-NJ-HOPELINE, 654-6735.

"We have peers who work the line here who have been there, who have been at that point of contemplating suicide or have made suicide attempts, who can connect with someone on that edge," he said. "They can let them know that it can get better."

He also said historically, New Jersey has had the third lowest suicide rate in the nation, but over the past 16 months the suicide prevention helpline has answered more than 25 thousand calls, and in the two days after Robin Williams suicide, the call volume doubled.

"Every call is different," he said. "People are in various levels of distress, but each call involves an assessment process - and if the risk is positive on the initial screen, they do a more in-depth screening. We try to provide options for the person, whether it be that hey, we think you might be struggling with depression from what you're telling me, or suggesting some resources for them to help them to kind of navigate this."

He added sometimes, they rescue people in crisis.

"We do get calls from people who say I took the pills, I'm just looking to talk to somebody for a few minutes. We're obligated to save their life and we try to do it as cooperatively as we can," Zimmerman said.

Nationwide, about 8.3 million adults in the U.S have suicidal thoughts each year, and  about 40,000 succeed, according to the CDC.

 

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