Safety

HHS Expands Access to Childhood Vaccines during COVID-19 Pandemic

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 04:00:00 +0000

HHS Expands Access to Childhood Vaccines during COVID-19 Pandemic

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a third amendment to the Declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to increase access to lifesaving childhood vaccines and decrease the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks as children across the United States return to daycare, preschool and school.

"Today’s action means easier access to lifesaving vaccines for our children, as we seek to ensure immunization rates remain high during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “The Trump Administration has worked to allow pharmacists—alongside all of America’s heroic healthcare workers—to practice at the top of their license, empowering the public with more options to protect their health and well-being.”

OWH Director: How I Make My Health a Priority

Anonymous — Tue, 21 May 2019 04:00:00 +0000

OWH Director: How I Make My Health a Priority

The 20th annual National Women’s Health Week is here! I am thrilled to be part of the celebration this year as the new director of the Office on Women’s Health. As a practicing physician, I have been focused on women and girls’ health issues my entire career and am excited to bring my knowledge to this role and continue to help women and girls achieve the best possible health.

National Women’s Health Week is about taking steps to achieve better health, such as visiting a health care provider for a checkup and talking about what screenings and vaccines you may need, including the MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella; getting plenty of physical activity; eating healthy foods; paying attention to your mental health; and practicing safe behaviors, like not texting and driving. Even though these steps are essential for good health, I think most of us can agree that it is not always easy to build them into our daily lives. Sure, we know these steps can help us feel our best and prevent serious diseases and conditions, like heart disease and diabetes, but sometimes it is hard to get motivated or stay on track, especially when we have so many other responsibilities.

Also, what works for one woman may not work for another. Each one of us is unique — we all have different goals, different motivations and reasons for getting or staying healthy, and different ways of achieving our health goals. The key to building healthy habits into our lives is to find what works for us as individuals. We want to help you do that during National Women’s Health Week! Here are some steps to uncover ways to be healthier every day.

Reflect on your health. Health is a lifelong journey, and it certainly is not a straight line. There are stops along the way, forks in the road, and sometimes, your destination changes as you evolve and change. With my new work schedule, I have been reflecting on my health journey — thinking about where I am right now and where I want to go. I have thought about questions like these: Why do I want to be healthy? What am I already doing to lead a healthy life? What do I want to improve?

What I realized is that I am motivated by my desire to have a strong and healthy body for life. One of the activities I want to work on is making strength training a bigger part of my daily routine because healthy muscles and strong bones are so important for all women and girls. They help us do important everyday tasks and maintain good posture. My patients truly inspire me when it comes to improving muscle strength. Yes, it is important to figure out a fitness routine that gets you moving — anything from dancing to walking to swimming to running — but muscle strength is just as important. I have taken care of too many patients with compression fractures of their spines who could have benefited from stronger back muscles. Think about adding some dumbbells to your fitness routine! Try committing to 10 minutes a day of physical activity. Small steps can make a big difference over time!

This National Women’s Health Week, I encourage you to try reflecting on your health, too! Take a pulse check on your health to see where you are and where you want to go from here.

Set manageable goals and take small steps. You have heard it before, but simple steps can make a big difference in your health. Drastic changes can be overwhelming and tough to maintain. That is why I opt to get creative when possible! I look for timesavers and small ways to work toward my goals throughout the day. For example, using a slow cooker can save time if you love the smell of food cooking when you arrive home. My goal is to try one new recipe a month, so by the end of the year that is 12 new recipes for my collection.

Another strategy is preparing meals on the weekends. I have had many patients make dramatic improvements to their health by preparing meals on the weekends for the week ahead. Additionally, having food ready to eat after a busy day can help prevent you from eating late at night, which can impact your blood glucose levels. Many of my patients living with diabetes would show me their blood glucose levels the morning after eating late at night, and their glucose levels were often higher compared to when they ate earlier in the evening. Our bodies need time to metabolize food. Going to bed on a full stomach makes it harder for our bodies to metabolize what we ate for dinner. Eating before 8 p.m. and walking after meals are small steps you can take to improve your health.

Ask yourself about the different reasons why it might be hard for you to focus on a particular area of your health. Once you know what your challenges are, you can create a plan to overcome your obstacles step-by-step.

Think about what is most important to you. My family and friends are a key part of my health. One of my motivating factors for taking care of myself is that I need to maintain my health so that I can be there for my family.

Healthy relationships are integral to good health. It can be challenging when relatives are not in the same city as you, but it makes it all the more important to talk with them frequently and plan visits. Even during busy weeks, I try to call my grandma because talking with her always reminds me of what matters most in my life. One of my grandfather’s friends from World War II is 99 years old! Staying in contact with him over the years has reminded me to be active. (He continued to jog into his 90s and still does an occasional 5K race!) We are planning to visit him this summer and I cannot wait to listen to more stories about his time with my grandfather during WWII and the years since then. It is sad to talk about for sure, but in health care, we know how loneliness impacts health. Think about how you can put a smile on someone’s face by letting them know you care about them. You may very well find that your heart smiles in return.

Building healthy habits into your life takes practice, and all we can do is learn as we go. Hopefully, pausing to reflect on your health, finding simple tweaks you can make to your routine, and thinking about what is most important to you will help you take the next step on your health journey. If you are not sure where to start, we can help. Please use our online tool to explore where you are and where you want to go. Based on your responses, you will receive personalized tips so you can start working toward your next healthy destination today!

Anonymous (not verified) May 21, 2019

Fitness and Nutrition

Communities Can Help Prevent Dating and Sexual Violence

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Communities Can Help Prevent Dating and Sexual Violence

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recently released a recommendation for interventions that aim to prevent or reduce intimate partner violence (dating violence) and sexual violence among youth. This recommendation is based on a systematic review of 28 studies. The findings showed interventions reduced intimate partner and sexual violence among youth. Results also showed an increase in bystander action within the first six months of completing the intervention, meaning bystanders intervened when they noticed a risky situation or challenged aggressive attitudes toward women, such as offensive jokes or objectifying language.

The studies CPSTF examined targeted young people from 12 to 24 years old. Interventions combined educational information about sexual and intimate partner violence with one or more strategies designed to:

Teach young people healthy relationship skills, such as communication, conflict resolution, and stress management
Promote social norms that protect against violence, such as by challenging negative attitudes or beliefs that support violence and promoting bystander empowerment by teaching youth how to intervene in situations involving potential sexual or intimate partner violence
Create protective environments, such as by improving school climate and safety

Interventions may be implemented in schools (including middle school, high school, and college), at home, in communities, or in a combination of settings. Additionally, they can target groups at higher risk for violence or the general youth population.

If you’re interested in implementing strategies and approaches to reduce violence among teens in your community, use these resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which outline strategies specified in the CPSTF recommendation. They are designed to help states and communities use the best available evidence to prevent violence, and there are specific resources focused on sexual violence and intimate partner violence, among other topics.

We hope you’ll consider employing these strategies in your community. As a society, we must implement prevention strategies that not only reduce violence, but stop it before it begins. That’s critical to ending the cycle of violence in our communities. To make an impact, we must take advantage of the best available evidence and focus on strategies shown to be most likely to prevent or reduce sexual and intimate partner violence.

You can learn more about CPSTF’s recommendation and strategies designed to prevent violence among youth by attending the free Interventions That Work webinar from 1:30 to 3 p.m. ET on October 24, 2018. The webinar is an excellent opportunity to hear how communities have effectively reduced violence and learn about resources to help you get started in your community. Register for the webinar today!

Anonymous (not verified) October 15, 2018

News and Announcements

Creating a Culture of Consent on Your Campus

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Creating a Culture of Consent on Your Campus

If we’ve learned one thing at Her Campus, it’s that college is an important time for personal discovery and navigating the world of sexuality. But with the excitement, it’s crucial to get educated about sexual assault and how we can foster a healthy culture of consent on campus and off.

Sexual assault is all too common on college campuses, affecting students of all ages, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. One in five women in college experience sexual assault, and studies show that the first few months of the first two semesters are often when students have these experiences. Women who identify as LGBTQ+ are also more likely to experience sexual assault on campus.

The stats, the stories you read in the news, and the stories you hear from your friends are absolutely heartbreaking and scary. But, before you let that overwhelm you, know that there are a few basic things you can do right now to help prevent assault on campus and support survivors.

1. Understand what consent really is and what it is not. Consent is about someone enthusiastically, freely choosing to agree to do something (in this case, a sexual act) with someone else. The best way to get that confirmation is to talk about it, ask questions, and be open to and mindful of your partner’s body language. If you’re unsure about doing something — even just a little bit — always ask first. If you don’t feel comfortable with sexual activity, in any form, at any time, you can always speak up and say “no.”

While it might seem like a no-brainer, here are the consent basics that everyone should know:

The absence of a “no” is not the same as a “yes.”
Consent can always be withdrawn.
A “yes” to one thing does not mean “yes” to everything.
If someone is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, for example, and is blacked out, unconscious, or unable to understand what is going on, they are unable to give consent.
If a person feels like they can’t say “no” because they feel pressured or afraid of what could happen if they say “no” — that does not equal consent.
If a person said “no” over and over again and only said yes after being worn down, guilted, manipulated, negotiated with, or yelled at — that does not equal consent.

2. Normalize consent with your friends and partners. There’s a lot of stigma among young people around actually talking about sex in a meaningful way. There’s pressure to be up for anything. Following along with something because it’s how sex is supposed to happen reinforces a culture of silence that harms survivors of assault, especially women. Instead, focus on being direct and talking about what you do want to do with your partner and what doesn’t feel right. Don’t lose sight of those essential rules about consent or get the idea that talking to your partner about what you want or don’t want is awkward or weird.

3. Look out for each other. Unfortunately, knowing the basics of consent doesn’t mean you’ll never find yourself in a difficult situation where a friend, classmate, or date needs a reminder about consent. For example, maybe you see someone trying to initiate sexual activity with someone who is too drunk or who has attempted to say “no” already. In these situations, don’t be afraid to flex your new talking skills (and maybe bystander intervention skills, too. You can help make sure the people around you know what kind of behavior is acceptable (and what seriously isn’t).

4. Shut down victim blaming. Here’s the bottom line: If someone assaults you or betrays your trust, it is never your fault. It doesn’t matter what you wore, what you drank, or who you kissed or slept with previously — no one ever has the right to touch you or do a sexual activity with you without your consent.

While there’s no way to guarantee that you or someone you know or care about won’t have an experience with sexual assault, college students like us are in a unique position to set the standards for the culture they want on their campuses. You can take steps to create a campus where everyone just gets the concept of consent — and hopefully help the rest of the world get there, too.

Anonymous (not verified) April 30, 2018

Parents: 5 Things to Know About HPV and the Vaccine

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 05:00:00 +0000

Parents: 5 Things to Know About HPV and the Vaccine

Parents, you can help protect your child from getting certain HPV-related cancers. How? With a safe and effective vaccine! Here are the top fives things you should know about HPV, or human papillomavirus, and the vaccine.

HPV infection is very common. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 79 million Americans currently have HPV and that almost every person who is sexually active will get HPV at some point in their life, if they don’t get the vaccine. People with HPV tend to be in their late teens and early twenties, and most people with HPV don’t know they have it. There are many different types of HPV infections, and while some are minor and go away on their own, others can cause long-term problems, like genital warts and cancer. HPV infections are responsible for 90% of anal and cervical cancers, 70% of vaginal and vulvar cancers, 60% of penile cancers, most genital warts, and certain cancers of the throat and neck.
You can help protect your child from cancers caused by HPV. Fortunately, there are safe and effective vaccines that prevent infection with the types of HPV that cause cancer and genital warts. These vaccines were studied extensively in clinical trials before being licensed, and they continue to be monitored for safety. What’s more is that the vaccines work extremely well, and they offer long-lasting protection against HPV and HPV-related diseases.
Most side effects of the HPV vaccine are minor. The most common side effects of the HPV vaccine are similar to other vaccines and may include pain, swelling, and redness at the injection site. Other adverse effects that can occur include fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, muscle or joint pain, or fainting (at the time of injection or immediately after).
Both boys and girls can benefit from the HPV vaccine. The vaccine helps prevent infections that can cause cancer. Cervical cancer is the most common HPV-related cancer among women, and oropharyngeal (throat, tongue, tonsils) cancers are most common among men. The CDC estimates that HPV probably causes more than 10,000 new cervical cancer cases in women and more than 9,000 new oropharyngeal cancer cases in men each year in the United States.
Boys and girls need to finish the full vaccine series of two or three doses for the vaccine to be effective. The HPV vaccine is administered in multiple doses, but the number of doses depends on a child’s age. Children 9–14 years old need two doses, and they should get the second dose six to 12 months after their first dose. Teens and young adults 15–26 need three doses of the vaccine over six months. They should get the second dose one to two months after their first dose and the third dose six months after the first dose.

The HPV vaccine is a powerful tool in preventing cancer. If you have questions, talk to your child’s doctor about HPV and the vaccine, or visit www.cdc.gov/hpv.

Anonymous (not verified) February 21, 2018

Cancer

Healthcare and Women

Healthy Aging

12 Things You Want to Know About Flu

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 13:00:00 +0000

12 Things You Want to Know About Flu

Editorial note: Content for the Q&A is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Find all of CDC’s information about the flu.

Chills. Body aches. Fatigue. These are just a few of the symptoms people often experience when they get influenza, or more commonly called flu. Your best defense against it? A yearly flu shot. Since it’s officially flu season, here are some questions — and answers — about flu and the vaccine. You’ll get the basic information you need to keep yourself and your family healthy this season.

What is influenza (also called flu)?

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year.

How does it spread?

Most experts believe that flu viruses spread mainly by tiny droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze, or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. Less often, a person might also get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.

How can you prevent the flu?

The first and most important step in preventing flu is to get a flu vaccination each year. The CDC also recommends everyday preventive actions (like staying away from people who are sick, covering coughs and sneezes, and frequent handwashing) to help slow the spread of germs that cause respiratory (nose, throat, and lungs) illnesses, like flu.

What is the flu shot?

The flu shot is a vaccine given with a needle, usually in the arm. The seasonal flu shot protects against the three or four influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season.

Who should get vaccinated?

Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season. Vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza.

People at high risk for developing flu-related complications include children under 5, but especially children under 2; adults 65 and older; pregnant women or women who have recently given birth; residents living in nursing homes or other facilities; American Indians and Alaskan Natives; and people living with health conditions, such as asthma, lung disease, and heart disease. However, there are some people who should not get the vaccine or should talk to their doctor first.

Can a flu shot give you the flu?

No, a flu shot cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines given with a needle are currently made in two ways: the vaccine is made either with a) flu vaccine viruses that have been ‘inactivated’ and are therefore not infectious, or b) with no flu vaccine viruses at all (which is the case for recombinant influenza vaccine).

What are the most common side effects?

The most common side effects from the influenza shot are soreness, redness, tenderness, or swelling where the shot was given. Low-grade fever, headache, and muscle aches also may occur.

What about serious reactions to flu vaccine?

Serious allergic reactions to flu vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it is usually within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination. While these reactions can be life-threatening, effective treatments are available.

Is it better to get the flu than the flu vaccine?

No. Flu can be a serious disease, particularly among young children, older adults, and people with certain chronic health conditions, such as asthma, heart disease, and diabetes. Any flu infection can carry a risk of serious complications, hospitalization, or death, even among otherwise healthy children and adults. Therefore, getting vaccinated is a safer choice than risking illness.

Why do I need a flu vaccine every year?

A flu vaccine is needed every season for two reasons. First, the body’s immune response from vaccination declines over time, so an annual vaccine is needed for optimal protection. Second, because flu viruses are constantly changing, the formulation of the flu vaccine is reviewed each year and sometimes updated to keep up with changing flu viruses. For the best protection, everyone 6 months and older should get vaccinated annually.

Does flu vaccine work right away?

No. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection. That’s why it’s better to get vaccinated early in the fall, before the flu season really gets under way.

Where can I get a flu vaccine?

Flu vaccines are offered in many locations, including doctor’s offices and clinics. Even if you don’t have a regular doctor or nurse, you can often get a flu vaccine somewhere else, like a health department, pharmacy, urgent care clinic, school, college health center, or workplace. The Vaccine Locator is a useful tool for finding a place to get vaccinated in your area.

Anonymous (not verified) December 27, 2017

Healthcare and Women

Healthy Aging

Intimate Partner Violence: A Community Response Model

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Intimate Partner Violence: A Community Response Model

At your last doctor’s visit, did anyone ask if you were safe at home? It’s important to know why you are being asked about your intimate relationships and what happens if you say that you are not safe.

Approximately 1 in 3 women in the United States report experiencing some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. Symptoms such as chronic migraines, insomnia, gastrointestinal issues, anxiety, depression, and numerous other health effects are experienced by survivors. Not having a safe person to talk with or a safe place to talk about IPV can prevent someone from getting help. Often, survivors feel a sense of security around medical professionals, which makes them more likely to disclose IPV in a health care setting. The M Health Community Network project (a grant funded by the Office on Women’s Health) is facilitating care for survivors with the use of a coordinated clinic and community response model that is supported by a partnership among researchers, the Domestic Abuse Project (DAP, a nonprofit based in Minneapolis, Minnesota), and the University of Minnesota’s Clinics and Surgery Center (CSC). Through the project, the Domestic Abuse Project brought on a full-time case manager to support referrals from the CSC and develop new partnerships in the community. As part of the project, rooming staff at the CSC were trained to screen all adult patients for IPV. If a patient indicates past or present partner violence, they have the opportunity to be connected with a member of the clinic’s Behavioral Health Team (BHT) who can meet during that same visit and provide immediate support, mental health referrals, and safety planning.

One of the most significant relationships fostered through the project has been between the BHT and the DAP case manager. This relationship is important in serving women who experience IPV, especially since each woman’s situation is unique. Survivors’ needs vary and may include assistance accessing basic services, obtaining legal and financial support, and accessing mental and behavioral health care. Patient needs are assessed and supports are individually tailored, ensuring a warm hand-off to community services. In this client-centered model, patients have reported feeling heard, believed, and supported.

One example is the story of Sarah, who was screened for IPV at one of the clinics and referred to the DAP by the BHT. Sarah told the DAP case manager that she had never been more afraid or ashamed in her life. After 10 years of keeping a family secret, she shared her experiences and felt like a load had been lifted. She said she thought something like this could never happen to her or her family. She was connected to group therapy and became more emotionally stable as the weeks went by.

We all can take part in ending IPV. We can start by listening: If someone confides in you, listen without judgment. All too often survivors will open up and talk about their own abuse, only to be discouraged by an unsupportive response. Even when survivors are ready to seek help, knowing where to start can be a challenge — survivors may be unaware of community resources, care, and other forms of support available to them. As October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, now is a perfect time to reflect on the range of community health care linkages that can bridge the gap in awareness and services that many survivors face. Safety is the responsibility of all of us. Help break the cycle of violence by bringing domestic violence and IPV awareness to your community.

The Domestic Abuse Project (DAP) is a community agency that has provided individual and group therapy to Minneapolis-area families since 1979. DAP’s mission is to build communities free from violence by providing holistic healing for every member of the family.

If you or someone you love is being abused, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 800-787-3224 (TTY).

Anonymous (not verified) October 15, 2017

Healthcare and Women

Sexual Assault on Campus: What We Can Do

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Sexual Assault on Campus: What We Can Do

Content warning: Sexual assault

One in five undergraduate women (PDF - 282 KB) are sexually assaulted during college. When I think about that number, I want to change it so everyone is safe. This National Campus Safety Awareness Month, I encourage you to support the theme "Take the First Step" and work to create a safe campus.

The Office on Women's Health is committed to preventing sexual assault on college and university campuses. That's why we launched the College Sexual Assault Policy and Prevention Initiative. This initiative provides technical assistance and support for implementing sexual assault policies and prevention strategies on college campuses.

At just a year into the initiative, we're encouraged by the programs being implemented around the country. Schools are conducting bystander intervention trainings that are focused on fraternity and sorority advisors. Others are offering awareness and prevention video resources. Some have been conducting trainings on trauma-informed responses for their staff and incorporating messages about consent and bystander intervention into fall festivals.

I'm personally excited about these programs and prevention activities because they address this issue from multiple angles: awareness, prevention, intervention, and response. Demonstrating to students that their schools are aware of this issue and care enough to provide these activities and resources is a huge step in the right direction. So, what else can we do to help prevent sexual assault?

What Communities Can Do

Education about sexual assault and consent begins long before college, in the messages children receive from their parents and other adults. We can plant the seed of consent and respect in children from an early age with this simple lesson: People should not touch each other without asking first. As children grow, the messages grow with them. We also all have a role in modeling respectful and consensual interactions, both sexual and nonsexual. In addition, community members should pay attention to their local and state policies and legislation, and they should advocate for positive change in support of sexual violence prevention efforts and effective reporting and supportive services for survivors.

What Colleges Can Do

Administrators, faculty, staff, and coaches must work with students to implement comprehensive prevention programs. Schools should consider teaching consent and healthy relationship/communication skills throughout the academic year, institute stricter intolerance policies on assault, and make it clear that sexual assault has no place in higher education.

What Students Can Do

Students have a large role in preventing sexual assault of others, too. If they see someone at risk for assault, they can help prevent it by using the C.A.R.E. bystander intervention technique: Create a distraction, Ask the person directly, Refer to an authority like a resident assistant or security guard, and Enlist others' help.

Every person on campus has a role to play in eradicating sexual assault from universities and colleges. When your sons and daughters go off to college, remind them what respecting themselves and others looks like. After that, it's up to them to make the right choices and for the colleges to support them.

This National Campus Safety Awareness Month, I encourage students, administrators, faculty, and coaches to take the first steps together to prevent sexual assault. For more info on preventing sexual assault, visit Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention (PDF - 3.5 MB) and STOP SV (PDF - 2.85 MB).

Anonymous (not verified) September 26, 2017

Talk Saves Lives

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Talk Saves Lives

September 10–16 was National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, it is the only top-10 cause of death that has increased every year for the past decade. In the United States, there were 41,149 suicides in 2013, which is about 113 suicides every day or one every 13 minutes. In Maryland, suicide is the third-leading cause of death for people 15–35 and the first-leading cause of death for people 10–14. For every suicide, it is estimated that 25 people attempt to take their lives, resulting in over 1.1 million suicide attempts a year.

Although everyone can be affected by a mental health condition or suicidal thoughts during their life, 2013 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that males take their own lives at almost four times the rate of females. However, females are more likely than men to have thoughts of suicide. Men most commonly use firearms to take their lives, while self-poisoning is the most common method for women.

What causes someone to take their life? Suicide, just like heart disease or cancer, is a complex health issue. It most often occurs when stressors build up and create feelings of hopelessness and despair for the individual who is struggling. Stressors can be negative life events, performance pressure, unhealthy lifestyle choices, substance abuse, or a pre-existing mental health condition.

Studies show that 9 out of 10 people who die by suicide suffered from a mental health condition. Unfortunately, due to a lack of knowledge and the stigma attached to mental health, only 2 in 5 people seek help. However, people who are diagnosed early and learn how to actively manage their mental health can lead fulfilling lives.

Despite the rise in deaths, suicide is preventable. Prevention starts by raising awareness and becoming smart about mental health. What are the signs that someone is at risk? How can I see these signs in myself and others? Whom can I ask for help? How can I help someone at risk?

Most people who take their lives exhibit one or more warning signs — either through what they say or what they do. Are they talking about being a burden, not having a reason to live, or thinking about taking their life? Talking about it may seem like an obvious sign, but too often we disregard it as attention-seeking behavior and don't take the person seriously. Do take them seriously! Ask if they are OK and how you can help them.

Changes in behavior are another reason for you to reach out if you think someone is at risk of taking their own life. If you notice that someone has isolated themselves, acts recklessly, or has increased their use of alcohol or drugs, reach out to them. Ask them if they are OK. People who are considering suicide may often display one or more of the following moods: depression, loss of interest, rage, irritability, humiliation, or anxiety.

If you think someone is at risk, assume you are the only one who will reach out. Talk to them in private, listen to them, and tell them that you care about them. Ask directly if they are thinking about suicide. Encourage them to seek treatment, but avoid debating the value of life, minimizing their problems, or giving advice. Stay with them and take them to their mental health professional or the nearest hospital. There are many resources available to help you and the person at risk. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Should the person at risk be in immediate danger, call 911. You can also text TALK to 741741. A trained crisis counselor from the Crisis Text Line will provide immediate help. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention provides free trainings to learn more about how you can save a life. To find out more, please visit www.afsp.org.

Anonymous (not verified) September 24, 2017

Mental Health