Fredericksburg Parent

18 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • November 2022 If you or someone you care about feels overwhelmed with emo ons like sadness, depression or anxiety, or like you want to harm yourself or oth- ers, call RACSB Emergency Services Therapists at 540-373-6876. They're available 24/7. You can also call 911 and ask for a CIT (Crisis Interven on Team) trained officer. Calling or tex ng 988 will connect you to the na onal Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a na onal network of local crisis centers that provides free and confiden al emo onal support to people in suicidal crisis or emo onal distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. You can also contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administra on's (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Helpline at 800-985-5990, or text "HOME" to 741741 to talk to a Crisis Text Line counselor. The Trevor Project Hotline provides support to the LGBTQ community at 1-866-488-7386 or text them at 678678. Por favor, ayudame este numero 1-888-628-9454. Self Harm and Suicide The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reported in May that self-harm visits to hospital emergency depart- ments among Virginia youth aged 9 to 18 years more than doubled from 6,520 visits in 2016 to 14,298 visits in 2021. Ninety-three percent of nonfatal self-harm hospitaliza- ons were due to drug poisoning. "What we know is that teens who use substances— whether alcohol, opioids or other drugs—are at an in- creased risk for self-harm," says Jordan Brooks, regional suicide preven on ini a ve coordinator for the com- munity services boards within Health Planning Region 1 (which includes the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board). "They tend to use alcohol and other drugs to manage those difficult feelings instead of open- ing up about them." Brooks co-leads Lock and Talk Virginia, a suicide preven- on program that encourages Virginians to secure lethal means such as drugs and firearms, and to talk openly about mental health and suicide. One important step for parents to take is to secure all medica ons in a locked box in the household, as re- search shows that pu ng even a few minutes between a suicidal person and lethal means can greatly reduce the likelihood of an actual suicide a empt. Firearms—which VDH sta s cs show cause 51% of all youth suicides—should also be locked up separately from ammuni on, with trigger locks as another op on for preven ng their use. It's equally important for parents to talk openly about their children's emo onal well-being. "One of the biggest protec ve factors against suicide in youth is the abil- ity to feel connected at home, with friends and at school," Brooks says. "Let them know that you are there, you love them no ma er what and you are there to listen and talk. There is no easy way to have these conversa- ons, but it can be as simple as saying, 'I am concerned about you. I love you.' If you are no cing things like behavioral changes or other warning signs, put that on the table." Brooks says it's important not to downplay or judge a teen's feelings, and to not be deterred if they don't seem to be listening—keep finding ways to have the conversa on. talk about:

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