Suicide Prevention Sat - September is National Suicide Prevention Month

Hey everyone, welcome to Suicide Prevention Saturday. And why are we here? Because 2 of every 3 gun deaths you hear about from the CDC are suicides. And if people genuinely want to save lives, we must pay attention to suicide prevention. And guess what? There is no better time than right now to pay attention to suicide prevention. Why is that, you say? Hmm, let me ask you, what month is it? It's October. And do you know what I didn't talk about at all in September? That September is Suicide Prevention— or Suicide Prevention— okay, hold on. Wait, wait. I have aids. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and I barely mentioned it at all. So tonight my goal is to get back to you guys and just talk about this because I just want to have a very rich and helpful, here are a bunch of tools and places that people can go. Every week I try to give you at least one or two. Tonight my goal is simply to give you a bunch. So this is one of those episodes where I really hope you will share this one because even if it's not September right now, as you guys know, every week for me is Suicide Prevention Week. And you know, it is something that we all must work on a little bit. So tonight's episode is all about resources. So let's talk about Suicide Prevention September, right? So in September, it's National Suicide Prevention Month, a dedicated time for mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members to promote suicide prevention awareness. Now, I believe this is every day, not just in a specific month, but you know, we have months for everything these days. So here is the idea for tonight. I'm going to share with you the, the ones that came to mind as far as resources for us throughout the years. I've talked about lots of different ones. I'm not going to hit on all of them tonight, but I do want to say these are the ones that like reoccur on a regular basis that I want to make sure people understand how this all works. So with that, Walk the Talk America, Bridging the Gap Between Mental Health and Responsible Firearm Ownership. This is what their website is. Oh, and DJ, by all means, go ahead and drop the links in the chat. For those of you who are on Facebook, you got to go to the YouTube side because that's where he's dropping that, that's where he can drop the, uh, the links for all of this. So Walk and Talk America was started by two gentlemen, and they are trying to bridge the gap between mental health and responsible firearm ownership. For those of you who don't know, as a firearm owner, there are questions when you buy a firearm. And one of the questions is, in Connecticut, have you been in a mental institution within the past 12 months? On the federal level questionnaire, it asks ever. So as a firearm owner, most firearm owners have no desire to ever get any mental health help because it could stop us from being able to handle firearms. So, um, this goes back to mental health advocacy, and just because you got treatment once does not mean you're broken forever. My husband— or I had an issue back in early 2000, 2001 coming to get— and this is not— this is before I had firearms. And I applied for life insurance and I got denied. And I'm like, why am I getting denied? They're like, you lied on your application. I'm like, I have no idea what I lied about because I didn't lie. I literally forgot what they were talking about. And so after going back and forth with the insurance company, it was that at one point I had asked my doctor for a grief counselor because my grandmother had just died and I wanted to talk to someone. And so the life insurance company was going to deny me life insurance because I went and asked for help. So this is where our system is very broken, and this is one of the reasons why Walk the Talk America's work is so important. Because if we're going to try to bridge the gap between mental health and responsible firearm ownership, hopefully that will also fall over into just a change about how mental health is looked at in general. So I don't know if you guys can hear it, but I've got 5 million chipmunks outside my door and they are having a blast. All right, switching gears here. Like I said, I'm gonna kind of rapid fire you guys tonight. So one of my other favorite and probably the people that I've worked with the longest since I've been in the firearms industry is Aiming for Zero. Aiming for Zero is probably one of the first places that I thought about suicide awareness and the fact that there's charities out there trying to help people with mental health issues. Aiming for Zero does lots of things. I was aware of them. Oh wait, I just realized right here, this guy here, that's Chris, Chris Tessier. I have, I've worked with him a bunch. And the idea behind this is we are farm owners and we do competitions and the money that we raise in the competition goes to help volunteers. So with that, Aiming for Zero is one of my favorites. They have lots of things. It's not just firearms. When you go there, you can get lots of different places to get help. Um, any, uh, Active Heroes is the actual parent company. And when you look at Active Heroes, they have tons of different programs and events. So it's not just about shooting. It can be, um, oh, they have, they have tons of stuff. I'm like, I'm trying not to get too far into the weeds, but please just go ahead, check them out. Like I said, DJ, just drop a link for everybody that they can grab. And, um, I wish I could remember that, but like they have video games. Like you can go and do a video game marathon sort of thing and raise money that way. It doesn't have to be shooting.. But more importantly, if you're a vet and you're looking for help, it's a resource to go to. So, because I know among the veteran community, there's lots of challenges because the VA can be really helpful for some people, not real helpful for others. Vets like to work with other vets. And that is the idea behind the Aiming for Zero and the Active Heroes. Another thing I want y'all to look at or know about or be reminded about NSSF, National Shooting Sports Foundation, is our, our business group. Like the NRA is for education, NSSF is for the businesses who run firearms. And in all of my classes, I give away this particular brochure, and it's Firearms and Suicide Prevention. NSSF will send this to you for free if you are part of their membership. Whether you are a gun store or an instructor or someone who just deals with the public in any way, shape, or form, you can get these brochures and you can even download them. See right here, you can just go to NSSF and DJ, I will grab this link for you and put that in the chat for you so you don't have to figure that one out. And this is where they will— they— you can just download it, make it super easy. But they will also send you stuff. You can have little table tent cards, there are posters. I'm trying to think if there's anyone that's here where I can show you, but no, that I can think of right now. But there's posters, there's all sorts of stuff, because again, firearms and suicide prevention, nobody wants to talk about it. But if there's this just little piece of paper that someone quietly palms sticks in their jacket and walks away. No one knows they asked a question. So that's why having resources like this can be very useful. And like I said, yeah, I don't even have to be a member. I don't think— I'm pretty sure this is an open site. I'm a member, so I'm like, I hope— oh no, it says I haven't logged in. So yes, any of you, whether you're a member or not, can go and get resources. And oh, I am so horrible. Hold, please. I'm gonna try to keep going forward, but you know, I'm like, ooh, squirrel. All right, speaking of resources, each one of these things that I'm gonna show you has resources. And look, Walk the Talk America resources, our resources, National Healthcare Two-Way Mental Health Survey. If you know anybody who is a, who wants to be listed as someone who is a gun-friendly advocate, there is that. And to a mental health survey, you can just go ahead and take that because we— oh no, you can't, it closed October 2nd. Never mind, don't go there. But when you go into our resources, there's a ton of stuff. Now here's the other thing. If you notice, every time that I change the the screen, they still have this big green button here. This is if you are curious about finding out if you've got issues, or maybe you would like to find out if somebody in your family has issues. Maybe you've never thought about depression or anxiety or bipolar or PTSD or addiction. Those of us with kids, the Youth Mental Health Test. I know that one of the stories, I forget which one, if it was Mike or, um, oh, the other guy, sorry, I really do know, um, said his daughter took the test and felt so much better after taking the test. These are, um, these are anonymous. They don't go anywhere. It is truly for you. And it's just another way, just like I said, another resource where if you want to learn something or you're curious about something, you don't actually have to go ask anyone for it. It's right there on the internet. One of the pros and cons of the internet is that you're just so anonymous. So another resource for you to go to get. Um, all right, here's another one. We're going to be done soon, honest. This is my favorite, well, one of my favorites. So the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, go ahead and watch the video again. DJ will drop the link again. If you're on Facebook, you gotta run over to the YouTube side because that's where the links are going to be tonight. So here are the questions people ask. I want to discover ways to process the loss of a loved one. I know vets know this really well, but those of us who have lost people to suicide also understand the idea of survivor's guilt, and that is probably one of the biggest challenges. I want to understand how to help someone at risk. That's another thing, because I know after all the years of doing this, people will call me and ask me, what should I do? And I'm like, none of us are counselors, right? You and I want to do stuff that is good for other people. We wanna help our friends. We wanna, if we see someone in pain, we usually wanna be able to help them pull out, mainly because we know when we're in pain, it's super hard to pull ourselves out. A lot of times we need a hand up, and sometimes we wanna be that hand reaching down to help someone up. Because when you're in distress, trying to figure out your way out of your own paper bag is very challenging. I don't know if you've all seen a cat in a paper bag and sometimes they can't get out, but if you're in crisis, it's very hard to become resourceful. So I use the coffee table analogy. Have you ever stubbed your toe on a coffee table and then words that you don't normally say just immediately escape your brain and your mouth? And to me, when I start swearing, it's because I'm not being very resourceful. Because there are other ways to express the things that I just said after I kicked the coffee table. However, sometimes swearing is appropriate. But when I'm not in pain, I can say, "Oh yeah, that was not spectacular, and yes, that took my breath away, and yeah, that was not the experience I was looking for." But I'm not going to say any of that right as I kick the coffee table, or if I do, then obviously I must be on some kind of drugs or something because that That's just unlikely. So this is the thing about, I wanna understand how to help someone at risk. So these resources that I'm showing you really are not just for if you're in crisis, this is for if you know someone or you're concerned about someone who might be in crisis. This one I'm not so excited about, policies that will help save lives. I just want society as a general to actually Let mental health be something that's as important as your physical health. And then of course there's people that volunteer to do stuff and take action. So any of these resources that you like, by all means, step up, volunteer. Yes, that's what I said. Because we all are too busy, right? And none of us have time to volunteer. Yeah, we do. We can make time to volunteer if it's important enough to us. Um, it's so funny, I'm actually trying to step away from volunteer programs. I've been volunteering all of my life and I am volunteering less. I'm still a public servant because I'm an elected official. I still volunteer at my kids' school. I still do stuff, but I'm trying to do less, if that makes sense. And yet people like, wow, you're so busy. I'm like, yeah, I am, but I'm less busy than I used to be. So All right, more resources. I hope you guys are enjoying this. I hope you like all of these different options for you. And like I said, of all the episodes ever done, this is probably the one that I really am hoping that you will share and get out to other people. So here we are, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 988 is our new nationally recognized Crisis Hotline. So with no matter where you are, 988 will get you to someone. Now here's the thing, how to take care of yourself. This one, this happened to be the veterans because we were talking about Aiming for Zero before, um, but this 988 is for anyone. However, um, number one, we all need to take care of ourselves, right? If something is too much It could be anything. I know some people going through divorces, people have lost people. Someone's always dying. That's horrible to say, but it kind of is. But 988 will help you find the resources that you need regardless of whether you're a veteran or not. I think one of the biggest things for vets is you can find a support group. And make a safety plan. And there's more, again, anonymous stuff. You just online, you click on stuff and you can find stuff out. And I find that that is probably one of the things that is most— pardon me, hold please, one moment. One of the things that's really exciting to me about this episode is you have a boatload of links available to you. And actually, now I think about it, I will make sure that they're in the description both on Facebook and YouTube. But DJ is going to be popping those in live on the Facebook— on the YouTube side. There we go. So multiple ways for people to find, because not everybody reads the descriptions. That is where I am. I'm getting closer to being done. Uh, there's only 2 more that we're going to talk about, and then y'all can go back onto your Saturday night, whatever you are doing tonight, or for those of you watching replay, doing whatever else you were doing when you're done. So, uh, next is National Institute of Health— of Mental Health. And the thing I'm bringing up here is because— what's it say right here? Esta página también está disponible respondable in español. Yeah, I don't speak Spanish well. However, this is just yet another resource, right? So with National Institute of Mental Health, they've been around a long time. I'm not gonna lie, I kind of like our American Foundation for Suicide Prevention a little bit better, and they may also— oh wait, there it is, select language. Because the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention partners with places like NSSF to create the firearms and suicide prevention. So I know these guys are not only gun friendly, but they actually help and they do a lot. Nothing against National Institute of Mental Health. I just don't know them as well. But like I said, the reason I brought this up is because, ooh, they have Spanish. And goodness knows there's a lot of people in America that speak Spanish. So Mario, here's an example of something that you can share with people, not that you don't already have others. And I'm sorry, I couldn't, I didn't think to put yours up tonight, but I can work on that and another one. So again, back to if you have friends or anyone that you're concerned about, if you or someone you know is in crisis, there's a thing. What is suicide? Well, hmm, most of us probably know what that is. Warning signs. This is probably the biggest question I get all the time. How do you know? And the answer is you will not know unless someone wants to share it with you and is looking for help. As a suicidal teen, my friends did not know that I was suicidal. They had no idea. I was the perfect little jock, all-girl, go to church every Sunday, just such a good kid. I was smart and I was pretty and I did all the nice things and everybody thought that I was fine, happy, and spectacular. I know whenever I hear those stories about the cheerleader or the jock Or the football player that committed suicide, everyone's like, oh, but he had everything going for him, or he had everything going for her. And those are the people that you really won't ever see. Now, are there actual warning signs for suicide? Of course there are. There are clinically proven signs that will be evident to someone, maybe, right? If you have someone who you interact with on a regular basis and you really know them, and you notice all of a sudden they've pulled away and they're not talking to you or anyone else. Yeah, that's a heat check. You want to go check in on that friend of yours. You want to be like, hey man, haven't talked to you in like a month and we used to talk every week. What's going on? And they may not open up to you, but here's the thing that so many people don't understand. This is why I say, you know, pick up the damn phone from time to time and just call people randomly. Because if you're in a suicidal ideation area where you're depressed, you feel your life is not worth squat, getting a random phone call or a pop-in from one of my buddies or someone I barely know even will be like, huh, plant that seed of someone cared enough to give me a call, someone cared enough to bring me a coffee, someone cared enough to reach out and say hi. I don't have to spill my guts to them, but maybe, just maybe, because someone else paid attention to me, maybe I am worth not dying today. And one of the books I read last year was— was it this year? I think it was last year. I don't know. I don't understand time. I don't think it's linear. Anyway, one of the books I read last year is called The Power of One More. And if you can plant that seed into that person's brain just for a moment, it's one more moment that they're actually not thinking about killing themselves. You may not become their confidant and their counselor or any of that stuff. However, you might be the one who made them think just a little bit harder about why they should not take their lives, that someone does actually care. So next page is where, oh yeah, huh? You can like this. I like this one. So you're gonna like it because I said so. Yeah. Okay. So Here we are. Oh my goodness. Sorry. Hold on, please. I have the worst allergies right now in the fall. I apologize. All right. New Life for Canines Service Dogs. What is, what is this? What does, what do service dogs have to do with suicide prevention? Well, Did you know if you have an animal, whether it's a chinchilla or a cat or a dog or a hamster or a guinea pig, you are less likely to feel alone and you are also less likely to actually commit suicide because you have someone who will, whose life depends on you. So New Life for Canines service dogs, So service dogs are just a thing. So service dogs and suicide prevention, here we go. Based on research studies conducted at Purdue University as well as other emerging studies, service dog partnerships are demonstrating themselves as a promising resource for reducing suicide and providing mental health support to at-risk populations such as veterans and first responders who have experienced trauma or mental illness. Service dogs can be trained to perform a wide variety of tasks. So just so you know, I don't have a service dog, but wait, where is he? There he is. There's a dog. I can't, I can't get all the dog without that. Wait, I can go further. There's my service dog. No, he's not really a service dog, but I get to pet him and I take him for runs. And, um, yeah, and it's just fun because, you know, It's a dog. People like dogs or people like cats or chinchillas or a friend of mine's girlfriend's got sugar gliders. Who knew? I did not know that was a pet thing, but apparently it is. So with that, we are finally at the end of my resources for y'all today. So that's a bunch of stuff. There's a bunch of links. Facebook is up there. YouTube is down there. If you're here live, it's over there. Um, because DJ dropped a bunch of those for y'all. And, um, yeah, that's it. That is tonight, and I will see you next week. And I think that is everything as far as shoutouts for all of you who are here. I am just going to give one giant thank you for tuning in. Thanks for asking questions. I am going to get back to them in the comments, whether it's Facebook or YouTube, it's down here, because I didn't have a chance to look at them. Because I wanted to stay on target for tonight and just give you as much as I could and still not keep this being like an hour and a half sort of event. So love to y'all. I will get back to you on your comments and questions throughout the, the, whatever this is, the stream. There we go. I know these words. And I will see y'all next week. Talk to you later.