A Frame of Reference

Before detailing the contents of this entry, it is important to specify the intersection between suicidality and social theory, not only to justify the following conversation which pertains to mindfulness, but also continuing a multidimensional approach to mental health.

When we learn about adjacent areas of individual and social behavior, we are not shifting the focus away from the problem of lethal means safety and suicide prevention, but rather, we are enlarging the boarders of understanding, looking at an ever-complex issue from a variety of interconnected factors in tandem with a specified understanding of critical factors, together, learning both the width as well as the depth of the issue of suicidality.

With this orientation, we no longer have a frame of reference but a prism of perspective, fractionating and highlighting the different layers of color which, in its whole, is the same light. These subjects are of the same, then; one of disconnection and isolation in the midst of trauma (wounding).

Connectedness

When we talk about connectedness within the suicide prevention, we are discussing social identity (a persons cohesion to a social group or culture) as well as social integration (diverse individuality cohesive with unifying whole).

This of course seems only natural for an individuals wholistic well being; the freedom to express individuality and the structure to feel belonging, but how is this suicide prevention?

Psychosocial integrity (the name that this dyad will be referred to within this entry) is literally a lifeline in times of crisis where suicide is in the midst. When one is suicidal, there is an inner dissonance of an immeasurable degree, an ultimate conflict between the self. Through social support and the belonging, however, this dissonance is transmuted into consonance (harmony).

I use this dichotomy between dissonance and consonance intentionally, as the literal definition of harmony is the agreement and unity of different parts to make a cohesive whole - connectedness!

Visually displaying this relationship above, we can see that a lack of psychosocial integrity creates an entropic feedback loop, amplifying the dissonance rather than resolving it, cascading into utter existential dislocation.

Lethal Means Safety

It is a worthy question at this point to pose what this has to do with lethal means safety (the application of practice and interventions to create time and space between one in crisis and a potential means of suicide)? And the answer is more linear than initially perceived.

If our prime mission is to establish blockades between an individual in crisis and a means of death, isn’t the social body that embraces them (or doesn’t) one of our biggest concerns to define when assessing risk?

The smallest things a family member, a friend, a loved one can do for someone in crisis, such as simply being a distraction from the pain, is a million times more impactful than we give it credit. To make someone feel like their pain is not an isolated experience for only them to bear is to provide safety for that individual. Such behaviors which foster belonging creates time and space, a space that is no longer an arid inch, but a hundred miles where those who care stand.

Local Initiatives and Involvements

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention 2025 EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN MESA COUNTY Register Here!

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST): September 18-19, November 6-7 This two-day workshop(16 hours) helps participants learn how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, providing a skilled intervention, and developing a safety plan to keep someone alive.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA): September 26, October 17, December 5 This eight (8) hour training teaches people how to recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges in adults, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate care.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (Youth MHFA): August 29 This Six and half (6.5) hour training for adults who regularly interact with people ages 12-18. It introduces common mental health challenges, typical adolescent development, and plan for how to help in crisis and non-crisis situations

Soul Shop™: October 2 This 90-minute workshop equips faith community leaders and other people of faith to train their congregations to minister to those impacted by suicidal desperation.

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, call or text 988. The National Suicide Hotline is staffed around the clock with certified members of the American Association of Suicidology. Or the Crisis Text Line, text CO to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from a secure online platform.