Suicide Prevention as a Workplace Health & Safety Priority

Editor’s Note: This piece is authored by Frank King, a suicide prevention speaker, writer for The Tonight Show for 20 years, keynoter and comedian for 39 years. His speaking is informed by a lifetime of depression and suicidality. He turned that dark journey into 13 TEDx Talks and sharing insights with corporations and associations. For information about suicide prevention or to ask for help, contact 988lifeline.org, or call or text 988.

Good news: eight out of 10 people who are suicidal are ambivalent; they cannot make up their minds, and nine out of 10 give hints in the last week leading up to a suicide attempt. This means that you can make a difference — you can save a life and you can do it by doing something as simple as having a conversation — if you know how, and I will show you how.

You may ask why certain workplaces have such a high rate of suicide. There are a number of factors that put workers at higher risk:

• Construction, for example, is a male-heavy occupation, and currently, eight out of 10 suicides in the U.S. every year are men.
• Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for men under 45 in the U.S.
• Women attempt suicide three times more often than men, but men tend to complete a suicide because they frequently use a firearm.
• One of the causes is toxic masculinity. There is an ideology among males where they believe they should suppress their emotions.
• Men are often pressured to suppress these emotions, especially vulnerability, which can lead to a deterioration of mental health and difficulty forming healthy relationships.

Some additional risk factors are:

• Many suicidal people are of an age where we see the highest rates of suicide nationwide.
• Many are veterans who struggle with PTSD.
• Many injuries are treated with opioids.
• Recent research studies show that there is a relationship between physical pain and mental health disorders.

The problem is a vicious cycle: workers experience pain, which impacts their mental health, which can affect their job performance. This leads to increased difficulties at work, which exacerbates their mental health problems, and so forth.

Again, the good news is, you can make a difference, you can save a life and you can do it by doing something as simple as starting a conversation.

Signs of Depression:

• They eat too much or cannot eat.
• They sleep too much or cannot sleep.
• They have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, so they are often late for work or school.
• However, they often rally in the afternoon like they are a different person.
• They let their personal hygiene go. Their clothes may be dirty and hair not so clean.

What should you say to someone you believe is depressed, or they have told you they are depressed? Let’s start with what you shouldn’t say.

What Not To Say:

• Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
• Turn that frown upside down.
• Have you tried fish oil? (Or make some other suggestion that only a medical professional should make.)

What To Say:

• I’m here for you and I mean it.
• I know that you’re not lazy, crazy or self-absorbed.
• I know that depression is mental illness.
• I know that with time and treatment things will get better.
• I will take the time. I will help you get the treatment.

And you must ask them, “Are you having thoughts of suicide?” Just like that. And if you cannot ask that question, find someone who can. And if you cannot find anyone who can, call me, and I will ask them: 858-405-5653. (Or call or text 988.)

There is an urban legend that you should never mention the word suicide in front of someone who is depressed, because “It might give them the idea.” In fact, the opposite is true. Mentioning it out loud reduces the chance that they will die by suicide.

Signs of Thoughts of Suicide:

• They talk a great deal about death and dying.
• You notice them Googling death, dying or how to die by suicide.
• Death and dying appear as themes in their artwork, music or writing.
• They are getting their affairs in order.
• They are giving away prized possessions (as they want them to go to a specific person when they are gone).
• They have been depressed for a long time, and now they are happy for no apparent reason. (They may be happy because they have chosen a time, place and method, and they know the pain is coming to an end.)

What do you say if you believe someone is suicidal or they have told you they are? Let’s again start with what you shouldn’t say:

• You are just looking for attention.
• No one who talks about it ever does it.
• You’re just being melodramatic.

What To Say:

• Do you have a plan?
• If they have a plan, what is your plan?
• If the plan is detailed as to time, place and method, will you let me take you to a mental health facility for evaluation?

The question often arises, “When do you call the police?” If they are a danger to themselves or others, you must call the police. But know this: if the police find that they are actively suicidal or a danger to others, they will take them into custody and bring them before a judge, who will determine if they should receive a three-day, involuntary hold. If the judge decides they do, then they will most likely spend 72 hours in a mental facility lockdown unit. And they are probably going to be mad at you, and un-friend you on Facebook, but at least they will be alive to do that.

So, you can make a difference, you can save a life and you can do it by doing something as simple as starting a conversation — if you know how. And now you know how.