Unless you've struggled with thoughts of suicide, it can be very difficult to understand why anyone would dwell on such thoughts, much less act on them. Anyone can be at risk for struggling with suicidal thoughts. Sometimes, there can be a tangible reason behind the struggle, but it can also be the result of mental health challenges or even a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Some age groups tend to struggle with suicide more than others. For example, it's the second leading cause of death among 10-14 year olds and 25-34 year olds. It's the third leading cause among those 15-24 years old and fourth for those 35-44 years old. However, people can struggle with this at any age. Approximately every eleven minutes, someone dies by suicide in the United States, according to The Cleveland Clinic. Here are 4 ways the church can take steps to come alongside of those who are battling suicidal thoughts and help them receive healing and hope.
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1. Find Ways to Remove the Stigma
There can be many reasons why people struggle with suicidal thoughts. Some of the external factors can be ongoing pain from a medical condition, extreme stress, and drug addiction, according to WebMD. Other external factors, according to The Cleveland Clinic, can be related to:
- Financial crisis
- Trauma and loss from a natural disaster
- Divorce
- Death of a spouse or other close loved one or friend
Possible internal struggles can be connected to:
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Chemical imbalance in the brain
It's important that people in the church are taught that it's unhelpful to tell someone who's struggling that they're lacking in faith or that the person struggling somehow brought the situation on themselves.
Just as people typically wouldn't speak disparagingly to someone who has been diagnosed with a physical illness such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or even the medical challenge of nearsightedness, people need to respond in love and empathetically to those who struggle with suicidal thoughts or other mental health challenges.
The church needs to be willing to address such struggles from the pulpit or invite mental health professionals to speak about mental health challenges. Other aspects that could be covered could include what it's like for someone to live with such challenges and how people in the congregation can be supportive.
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2. Talk about People in the Bible Who Battled Suicidal Thoughts and Overcame
There are many people in the Bible who struggled with suicidal thoughts. According to Grace Evangelical Society, some of them include Elijah, Job, and Jonah. Elijah had just finished calling down fire from heaven and successfully battling the prophets of Baal and Asherah. Israel even came back to the Lord after this amazing showdown in Chapter 18 of 1st Kings. Then, when Jezebel threatened to take Elijah's life in chapter 19, Elijah panicked and ran for his life. An emotionally and physically exhausted Elijah asked God to take his life.
But God refused to do that. Instead, He encouraged Elijah to get some sleep and ministered to his physical needs with food and water, as well as his emotional needs with His presence. Sometimes, the best thing to do for someone struggling emotionally is simply to be quiet and present with them in the moment.
Job lost all he owned and all of his children in a single day (Job 1:13-19). Then, in chapter three, he expresses his regrets about the day he was born. Finally, in Job 3:11, he asked, "Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?"
The words that Job's friends spoke to him are a great example of how not to respond to someone who is struggling with suicidal thoughts. In the end, the Lord Himself came and ministered to Job and restored to him even more than he initially lost.
God asked Jonah to evangelize the enemies of Israel. Jonah wasn't at all keen on that idea. In the end, he became angry with God because God saved them. Jonah likely felt like he betrayed his people. He asked God to take his life, but God refused, explaining that He had pity on Nineveh because they didn't have the ability to "...discern between their right hand and their left..."
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3. Host a Support Group at the Church
A support group is a great way to encourage conversation, help promote healing, raise awareness, remove stigma, and normalize what struggling people are feeling so that they don't feel alone and hopeless. One organization that offers churches material to take a preventative approach to suicide is Focus on the Family.
The ministry offers a program called "Alive To Thrive," which is an online program consisting of six modules designed to help church leaders and parents know how to respond when someone is struggling with suicidal thoughts. For more information on that, please visit: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/alive-to-thrive/
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4. Educate the Congregation on Suicidal Signs and Proper Response
There are some signs that people can watch that are a potential warning regarding someone who may be considering suicide, according to Boston Children's Hospital. Some of those warnings include:
- Sudden behavioral changes
- Isolating from friends and family
- Loss of interest in favorite hobbies
- Difficulty sleeping or consistently oversleeping
- Drug use
- Appetite changes
- Giving away favorite possessions
- Calling, texting, or using social media to tell people goodbye
- Preoccupation with death
- Previous self-injuring behaviors
If any of these signs occur, it's time to get a professional involved. If one teen notices any of these signs in connection to another teen, it's time to get a parent, teacher, or pastor involved.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741.
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Originally published Thursday, 19 September 2024.