Suicide Prevention

Talking about suicide can be a scary subject. But the more people are willing to talk with a friend or family member about suicidal thoughts, the more likely they can help someone take positive steps towards healing.

Many people assume that if you ask someone if they have suicidal thoughts, that you can put the idea into their head. This is a myth, and mental health professionals encourage people to ask important questions and gather facts to help someone who is depressed or feels hopeless. When someone is contemplating suicide, their words and actions can give you clues that they are at risk for hurting themselves.

People can become suicidal when they feel overwhelmed by life’s challenges. They lack hope for the future, and they see suicide as the only solution. It’s sort of a tunnel vision where other options seem useless. Having a family history of suicide or impulsive behavior is also believed to increase risk of suicidality.

Other risk factors can include:

History of substance abuse

Access to firearms

Difficult life events

Isolation from others

History of mental illness

History of physical or sexual abuse

Having a terminal or chronic illness

Past suicide attempts

The more signs you see, the higher the risk there is for suicide. Though talking about dying is an obvious sign, there are many others that can indicate risk. There are emotional, verbal, and behavior clues you can observe.

Emotional Markers can include:

Feeling depressed

Lack of interest in activities once enjoyed

Irritability

Anger

Anxiety

Shame or humiliation

Mood swings

Verbal Markers include talking about:

Killing themselves

Their life having no purpose

Feeling like a burden

Feeling stuck

Not wanting to exist

There are two types of suicidal statements or thoughts. An active statement might be something like, “I’m going to kill myself.” A passive statement might include, “I wish I could go to sleep and not wake up,” or, “I wouldn’t mind if I got hit by a bus.” People often ignore passive statements, but they should be taken just as seriously.

Behavioral Markers can include:

Isolating from others

Not communicating with friends or family

Giving away possessions or writing a will

Driving recklessly

Increased aggression

Increased drug and alcohol use

Searching about suicide on the Internet

Gathering materials (pills or a weapon)

Older adults also at increased risk for suicide, and they complete suicide at a higher rate than any other age group. They also are especially at risk because they do not usually seek counseling for depression and other mental illnesses. If you see an older adult who stops taking care of their hygiene, is eating poorly, and/or starts giving away their possessions, then you should help them talk to a mental health professional as soon as possible.

Warning Signs For Kids

Many people do not assume that children and teens can be at risk for suicide, but they can exhibit warning signs as well. If a child is talking about suicide or wanting to die, always take them seriously. An event or problem that might not seem like a big deal to an adult can be extremely stressful for a child or teenager. Children and teens might be at risk for suicide if they:

Experience bullying

Lose someone close to them

Experience physical, emotional, or sexual abuse

Abuse drugs or alcohol

Have a history of mental illness

Feel uncertain about their sexual orientation

What You Can Do Today?

If you see a loved one or even an acquaintance or colleague exhibiting any of these signs, you are not powerless to help them. Don’t hesitate to use specific language, such as asking, “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” If the answer is yes or maybe, ask them what they feel most comfortable doing, whether it’s calling a crisis hotline or scheduling a counseling or doctor’s appointment.

Depression

Depression is associated with abnormal function in an area of the brain known as the medial prefrontal cortex.

The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, investigated how the medial prefrontal cortex interacted with other areas of the brain in depression.

Positive Emotions

Scientists are beginning to investigate the importance of being able to attenuate positive emotions. A new study, published in the Journal of Personality Assessment, provides some of the first evidence that uncontrolled positive emotion is linked to negative outcomes.

Healthy Diet Healthy Mind

To be as healthy as possible, it helps to include lots of so-called “power foods” in your diet. “Most of the evidence for brain health suggests a Mediterranean Diet,” Elkrief points out. That means a wide array of deeply-colored fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, seafoods and fermented foods, all super sources of vitamins, minerals, fibers, healthy carbs and fats, beneficial bacteria, and plant proteins. A high-quality diet rich in these types of foods helps keep you physically and mentally sound by providing protection against symptoms of chronic conditions like heart disease, depression and anxiety.

Interpersonal Conflict_Existential Psychotherapeutic Model

Dr. Vikas Bhatheja is a Psychotherapist, Supervisor and Accredited Mediator in private practice and a visiting lecturer at JJT University, Mumbai.

The paradigm he favours is Existential Phenomenological and he has a particular interest in how people experience, and engage with temporality.
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Existentialism is common amongst all cultures and societies, and across all epochs.

We are never completely alone, but neither are we completely fused with another human being. Even if we withdraw from society, we still stand in relation to that from which we are apart. As beings that are capable of , if not condemned to, exercising freedom, sometimes in contradiction to an other's intentions, we stand as possible  opponents to the will of another.

Each of us is unique. No one else shares the particulars of their birth (where, how and to which parents), or the exact time and place that they occupy right now, but we all share the same concerns.

And we may share similar hopes and ambitions, but how these are realised, or valued, can be the source of conflict.

Smiling may not mean you are happy.

A genuine smile reflects the inner state of cheerfulness or amusement.
Smiles are tools used in social interactions. Cheerfulness is neither necessary nor sufficient for smiling.

प्रवृत्तिवाद और निवृत्तिवाद।

भारत में चिन्तन की सदा दो धाराएं रही हैं। एक धारा है प्रवृत्तिवाद और दूसरी है निवृत्तिवाद। प्रवृत्ति और निवृत्ति- यह वस्तु का स्वाभाविक पक्ष था। इसका अनुभव तो किया गया था, किन्तु अनुभव की कोई बात जब बुद्धि के स्तर पर चर्चित होती है, तब उसकी सूक्ष्मता खत्म हो जाती है, केवल स्थूलता बची रहती है। पूरे संसार में यही हुआ है कि स्थूल तत्व उभर कर सामने आ गए और जो रहस्य और सूक्ष्मताएं थीं, वे नीचे ही छिपी रह गईं। इस तरह प्रवृत्ति और निवृत्ति भी विवाद का विषय बन गया, जबकि इनमें विवाद जैसा कुछ नहीं है। यह जीवन की स्वाभाविक प्रक्रिया है। न केवल मानवीय जीवन की, परन्तु संपूर्ण प्राणी जगत की स्वाभाविक प्रक्रिया है। इतना ही नहीं, यह जड़ जगत की भी स्वाभाविक प्रक्रिया है। प्रत्येक पदार्थ में, जड़ या चेतन दो पक्ष होते हैं, पॉजिटिव और निगेटिव या विधायक और निषेधक। कोई भी शक्ति ऐसी नहीं होती, जिसमें ये दोनों न हों। विधायक पक्ष है हमारी प्रवृत्ति और निषेधक पक्ष है हमारी निवृत्ति। प्रत्येक व्यक्ति के जीवन में प्रवृत्ति और निवृत्ति के संतुलन की अपेक्षा की जाती है। जहां कहीं यह संतुलन बिगड़ता है, वहां बड़ी कठिनाई पैदा हो जाती है। कोरी प्रवृत्ति पागलपन की ओर ले जाती है, कोरा काम आदमी को निकम्मा बना देता है। अनेक लोग प्रवृत्ति में बहुत विश्वास करते हैं। वे करते-करते अपनी शक्ति को इतना खर्च कर डालते हैं कि अतिप्रवृत्ति उनके लिए अभिशाप बन जाती है। कोरी निवृत्ति भी निकम्मापन लाती है। जब शरीर है तो निवृत्ति से काम नहीं चल सकता। सक्रियता और निष्क्रियता, चिंतन और अचिंतन, विचार और निर्विचार, विकल्प और निर्विकल्प, स्मृति और विस्मृति, भाषा और अभाषा इन सभी का संतुलन अपेक्षित है। हमारा प्रयत्न विकास की उलटी दिशा में जाने का नहीं है। हमारा सारा प्रयत्न विकास की अगली मंजिल तक जाने का है। मन मिला, भाषा मिली और हमने विकास की सीमा यहीं तक मान ली। जिसके पास क्रियात्मक मन है, चिंतन की अच्छी शक्ति है, भाषा पर जिसका अधिकार है, उसने उतने को ही अपनी सीमा मान लिया। यह विकास की अंतिम सीमा नहीं है। इससे आगे भी बहुत कुछ किया जा सकता है। आगे भी बहुत संभावनाएं हैं, परन्तु उन संभावनाओं का द्वार तब तक नहीं खुलता, जब तक हम भाषा और मन (के द्वंद्व) को समाप्त करने की स्थिति तक नहीं पहुंच जाते। भाषा या चिंतन का न होना, अविकसित दशा का लक्षण है, किंतु भाषा के होने पर और चिंतन के होने पर भी उनका प्रयोग न करना चेतना के विकास की दिशा में पहला कदम है। जो व्यक्ति अपनी चेतना के नए आयामों को खोलना चाहता है, उसको विस्तार देना चाहता है, उसके लिए जरूरी है कि वह मन होते हुए भी अ-मन की स्थिति का अनुभव करे। वाक् होते हुए भी अ-वाक् का अनुभव करे। ऐसे में जब भाषा और मन का प्रयोग रुकता है, तब चेतना का नया द्वार खुलता है।