Special report: Confronting suicide

The statistics are staggering: One person commits suicide every 40 seconds – more than all the yearly victims of wars and natural disaster, according to the World Health Organization.

Deschutes County Health experts say those numbers can change. Suicide is preventable

“We know that people can get through this issue we know that reaching out for help and accessing resources really does make a difference,” said Holly McCown, Deschutes County supervisor of the Community Assessment Team.

It starts with recognizing the symptoms.

“If you hear somebody talking about suicide, researching methods in which to kill themselves, withdrawing from family of friends, isolating themselves and changes in sleep or mood or behavior, you want to pay attention to these things,” McCown said.

Officials say speaking up and intervening is critical. It can help change the perception of a person contemplating suicide simply by asking a question.

“I think that’s some of our biggest mistake is that we tend to not want to ask the right question and it doesn’t help to keep it in the dark,” McCown said.

Suicide survivor Katherine Benson says it would have made all the difference if someone just would have asked, ‘Are you contemplating suicide?’

“Not even my psychiatrist asked me the question,” Benson said.

Her advice? Ask your loved ones the direct questions, even if it feels uncomfortable.

“I didn’t just offer the information because I was ashamed to say it, so I truly believe we need to ask the question,” she said.

Listen, ask, get help — three steps that could save a life.

“By talking about it, we take the stigma out of it, we just bring it out into the open and it’s more likely the other person might be willing to talk about it and access some resources,” McCown said.

For more information or to seek help:

Deschutes County Mental Health Crisis Line: 541-322-7500 ext. 9

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255