Prevention:

​How to Help Someone In Need


LEARN® how to navigate the conversation


This information will help you recognize when someone may be at risk for suicide and how to connect them with immediate help.
LEARN is an acronym for the five step process.

LOOK for Signs:
Signs can be different for different people, so it's best to follow the LEARN steps when you see: ​

  • A change in someone's usual personality, outlook on life; sleep issues.

  • Withdrawing from friends/activities.

  • Increased feelings of hopelessness, anger, depression, shame.

  • An increase in behaviors like substance use, risk taking, self-harm.

  • Warning signs appear related to a painful event, loss, or change.

  • Losing interest in personal appearance or hygiene.

  • Withdrawing from family, friends, or community.

  • Saying goodbye to friends and family.

  • Giving away prized possessions.

  • A recent episode of depression, emotional distress, and/or anxiety.

  • Changes in eating and/or sleeping patterns.

  • Becoming violent or being a victim of violence, expressing rage.

  • Recklessness.

​
​EMPATHIZE and Listen: 

  • Just listen. Those who have struggled say this helped them the most.

  • Offer compassion, not advice. Avoid judgment and accept their feelings.

  • Validate their suffering, “I can see you’re in a lot of pain. Thank you for telling me.”

  • Summarize what you heard: “So, you’re feeling...(alone, hopeless). This sounds overwhelming.” 


ASK Directly About Suicide:  

  • Be direct, calm & courageous.

  • Ask calmly, in a straightforward way: “Are you thinking about suicide?” or, “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”

  • Another way to ask is: “Sometimes when people feel...(alone, hopeless), they are thinking about suicide. Are you thinking about that?" suicide?“


REDUCE the Dangers:  

  • If they say yes, ask “Do you have a plan?”

  • if they have a plan, ask: "Do you have a way to carry out your plan?"

  • Remove or lock up firearms and medications. In crisis, lock up belts, ropes, knives, chemicals.

  • Report concerning social media posts.

  • Remember: putting time and distance between someone thinking about suicide and the means they may use to end their life can help prevent suicide. 


​NEXT Steps

  • Together, call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call, text or chat 988) or other resources.

  • You can also call a faith leader, elder, friend, or family member.

  • Stay with the person in crisis if it is safe for you to do so. If someone is in imminent danger, calling 911 may be necessary. 

Adult to Adult Brochure
Adult to Adult Brochure


​Reducing Danger & Lethal Means

What are Lethal Means?
Lethal means refers to anything someone might use to take their life, such as an intentional overdose of medication, a firearm, or another method of self-attack. By limiting access during a crisis, people experiencing suicidal thoughts are less likely to pass away.

​Lock it up
"Many suicide attempts take place during a short-term crisis. Putting time and distance between lethal means and individuals who may be in crisis can prevent suicide and save lives."
- National Alliance for Suicide Prevention

Firearms

  • When not in use, keep all firearms locked and unloaded.

    • If available, store them in a gun safe, or use a gun lock to keep them secure.

    • If you use a firearm for home protection, consider an RFID or biometric safe. RFID safes allow instant access with tags that are programmed specifically for each safe.

  • Unload ammunition and lock it separately from available firearms.

  • If someone in your household is struggling, consider temporarily giving available firearms to a trusted friend or family member outside of the home. If that doesn’t work, get a gun lock and ask someone you trust to hold the keys and combinations.

    • Montana law includes a Good Samaritan law that removes liability if you store a firearm for another person.

Medication

  • Keep all medication locked, save for a one-week supply. If someone in your household is in a mental health crisis, limit access to 1-day’s worth of Rx.

  • Dispose of any leftover medication by dropping them off at a prescription disposal site or by requesting a Deterra Drug Deactivation System. You can get rid of medication by mixing it with dirt, kitty litter, or coffee grounds and then placing it in your trash.

  • Ask your pharmacist to use a blister pack instead of a bottle for pills.

  • Ask your doctor to limit doses to a one-month supply.​

​
Information from 
https://lcsuicideprevention.org/what-are-lethal-means/

​Contact us for free gun and/or medication locks. Quantity is limited. 
Thanks to Flathead Electric Cooperative's Roundup for Safety initiative for helping to sponsor this program.