Mental health conditions and suicide

Many people learn to manage their mental health conditions just as they would other health conditions. Becoming knowledgeable about your own, or a loved one’s, mental health condition, and participating in effective treatment for it, is an important way to manage it, and live more fully at home, and in relationships and at work. It’s also critically important for people who experience suicidal struggles or attempts to find those interventions developed specifically to help people manage suicidal ideation and behavior, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP) or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), in addition to addressing their overall mental health.

If you or someone you love struggles with a mental health condition, early detection and adequate treatment are key to reducing suicide risk. Therapy, medication, exercise, getting solid sleep, making strategic lifestyle changes, staying connected to others and taking care of overall health are all ways we can take care of our mental health. It is important to follow the recommendations of your treatment provider and to communicate with them about any changes in a timely way, as part of your overall treatment plan.

It is also important to be vigilant about suicide risk during certain times, such as when someone is experiencing a worsening of their mental health symptoms, making changes in their treatment (such as a change in medication or following a hospitalization), or when life stressors, losses, or life transitions are happening.

You can learn more about several mental health conditions in the videos below.