September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness month. Some points to consider:
- Many suicide attempts take place during a short-term crisis, so it is important to consider a person’s access to lethal means during these periods of increased risk.
- Access to lethal means (such as a firearms and medication) is a risk factor for suicide.
- Reducing access to lethal means saves lives.
There are steps you can take to make your home safer from self-harm and suicide. While many of these tips will seem obvious (and others perhaps not reasonably achieved), safety measures are often and easily overlooked—like a smoke detector that doesn’t work, the flashlight with dead batteries, or an expired fire extinguisher. Periodic safety checks are worth the thought and effort—even if some add a bit of inconvenience.
Weapons and dangerous objects: Research shows that having a gun or weapon in the home increases the risk of dying by suicide.
- Guns should be stored unloaded in a locked safe. Bullets should also be locked, but in a separate place.
- Gun safe keys or a combination to the lock should be kept only by the adults in the house.
- Consider purchasing trigger locks for guns.
- When children and teens go to friends or relatives’ homes, ask about gun ownership and storage.
- Limit children’s access to knives, razor blades, and other sharp objects.
Medications: Parents and caregivers should be in charge of the medications that are kept in the home.
- Secure all medications, both prescribed and non-prescribed (over the counter).
- An adult should hand out and control all prescribed and over the counter medications to children.
- Keep track of all bottles of medication as well as the number of pills in each container, including those prescribed as over the counter medications (such as pain relief, allergy pills, vitamins, and supplements, etc.) for the household (prescribed pet medications included) in the home.
- Dispose of all expired and no longer used prescribed medications by bringing them to your local pharmacy or fire station.
- Ask the parents of your child’s friends how their medications are stored in their home.
Drugs and alcohol: If substances that can be abused, like alcohol, are kept in the home, they should be monitored and locked.
- Keep track of bottles of alcohol and lock them away. It is not enough to put these items “out of reach.”
- If marijuana is kept in the home, lock all forms of it in a lock box that only adults in the house have the lock or combination to.
- Talk with the parents of your child’s friends about how they store alcohol or marijuana in the home.
Other toxins/hazardous materials: Other items can be used for self-harm and suicide.
- Keep your vehicle keys with you at all times or consider locking them in a lock box when not in use.
- Limit access to toxic household cleaners, pesticides, and industrial chemicals away.
- Limit access to ropes, electrical wire, and long cords within the home.
- Secure and lock high level windows and access to rooftops.
Although, it is not possible to make a home completely safe, following these suggestions can help reduce the risks and chance for a suicide attempt. If anyone in your home is talking about suicide, engaging in acts of self-harm, or researching suicide, they should be urgently evaluated by a qualified mental health provider.
Read More
Suicide Safe Your Home – Suicide Prevention Alliance
Reduce Access to Means of Suicide – Suicide Prevention Resource Center
12 Things Parents Can Do to Help Prevent Suicide – Healthy Children.Org
Safe Home Environment – Veterans Affairs
— Maureen De Armond, HR
