Philosophy
HelpLine endorses the public health approach to preventing depression and suicide. Our programs use a universal strategy that ensures every person, without regard to exposure of the problem, has access to improving their mental wellness, knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to these issues.
Mission
The suicide prevention program at HelpLine aims to raise awareness on suicide and its risk factors. By offering education and training, our program seeks to increase the number of community members who can respond to a person who needs help. We also provide advocacy and support to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one by suicide. Click here for more information on Survivor of Suicide Advocacy.
Signs of Depression and Suicide
- Withdrawing from friends, family, and the community
- Losing interest in things they love
- Giving away possessions
- Feelings hopeless
- Feeling trapped – like there is no way out
- Experiencing dramatic mood swings
- Threatening or talking about killing themselves
- Feeling angry or irritable
- Changing sleep habits (too much, not enough, or disturbed)
- Seeing no reason for living or having no sense of purpose in life
- Increasing or sudden alcohol/drug use
- Looking for ways to kill themselves
How to Respond to Someone Showing These Signs:
- Listen to them
- Ask them directly if they are thinking of suicide
- Offer to help them find support (24/7 hotline, counseling, etc)
- Express your concern for them
For personalized help responding, call our 24/7, crisis hotline at 1.800.684.2324 (Delaware: 740.369.3316 or Morrow: 419.947.2520).
View This Year’s Suicide Prevention Walk Video
Making Change Visible (see online brochure for more information)
The suicide prevention program at HelpLine offers a variety of services to school and the community including:
- Middle and High School Suicide/Depression Prevention
Signs of Suicide Middle School, Signs of Suicide High School
We use evidence-based programming along with Safe Messaging guidelines to provide teens with age-appropriate skills to get help. - Community Gatekeeper Training
Signs of Distress
We provide best-practice trainings to community organizations to educate them on the warning signs in their population and basic ways to respond and refer. - Community Intervention Trainings
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
We offer suicide intervention training to help provide caregivers with the tools needed to identify a person at risk of suicide and provide intervention and referral. See Connections website for upcoming dates and CEU information. - Community Collaboration
Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition (DSPC)
We collaborate with various schools and community resources to lead the DSPC. Our main goal is to increase community awareness through a variety of approaches, including gathering statistics, providing information, and organizing the annual suicide prevention walk. Click here to view this year’s Fourth Annual Suicide Prevention Walk video!
