Suicide Prevention Month

Chelsea Conner • September 27, 2024

September is National Suicide Prevention Month

September is suicide prevention month, which is an important topic of conversation for our office due to our mission to help those navigating life’s challenges. Recent statistics by the CDC show 13.1 million adults have had serious thoughts about suicide, 3.8 million made a plan for suicide, and 1.6 million made attempts with their plan.

A few warning signs of suicide can include an individual talking about wanting to end their life or no longer wanting to live anymore. Expressing feelings of emptiness and hopelessness, as well not recognizing a reason or purpose to live. The individual may also start to withdraw from family and friends. There are risk factors for suicide which include depression, substance abuse/misuse, chronic pain, exposure to violence and/or abuse, as well as a family history of suicide or previous history of suicide attempts by the individual.

*If you know anyone in crisis call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

*Call 911 in life-threatening situations.

There have been effective interventions, including brief and long term, that can be utilized with individuals suffering from suicidal ideation (SI). Suicidal ideation is where you engage with thoughts about suicide or have thoughts about how things would be better if you were not living anymore. The National Institute of Health found in 2022, having therapeutic interventions can lead to reduction in suicidal outcomes, specifically 55% in SI and 37.5% in suicide attempts. A few of these effective interventions include safety planning, follow up phone calls, psychotherapies (CBT, DBT), and medication management. Collaborative care is shown to be the most effective approach with individuals suffering with suicidal ideation.

Call our office at 859.338.0466 to schedule an appointment with one of our providers to help navigate your mental health healing journey. Our current offices are located in Lexington, Frankfort, and Richmond, KY. We have been trusted mental health professionals in Central Kentucky for over 22 years!

Supporting Articles:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention

https://sprc.org

https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/index.html

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/suicide-prevention

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6389707/#:~:text=Despite%20the%20between%2Dstudy%20heterogeneity,and%20suicide%20attempts%20(37.5%25).

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The Benefits of Therapy

By Chelsea Conner • September 8, 2025

The Benefits to Therapy and Why It Is Important to Seek out Help

How to Build Success When Recovering from Substance Use

By Chelsea Conner • August 14, 2025

Substance use is a growing health concern. 47.7 million Americans reported the use of illegal substances according to a study conducted in 2023 by The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. A Substance Use Disorder (SUD), defined by The American Psychiatric Association, is ‘a complex condition in which there is uncontrolled use of a substance despite harmful consequences.’ The American Psychiatric Association recognizes that someone who has a SUD has an intense urge to engage in any of the listed substances - alcohol, tobacco, or psychoactive substances that impact daily functioning, interpersonal relationships, and overall health. Another term well known for SUD is addiction. There is no single cause for a SUD but rather, a combination of factors can contribute to its development. Self-medication, genetics, peer pressure, curiosity, performance enhancement, and medical use turned misuse can all lead to someone engaging in problem use with substances and even addiction. Another study conducted in 2023 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, showed that 70% of people who sought out treatment for substance abuse/misuse reported improvements to their overall health and functioning within the first year of treatment. There are several available options for treatment, including outpatient care, intensive outpatient care, and in-patient care treatment. It is also important to have a collaborative approach when it comes to treatment for a SUD to have the best outcome, which can include medication management, individual therapy, group therapy, peer support, AA/NA meetings, sponsor, and a healthy support system within interpersonal relationships. It's important to remember that addiction is not a moral failing, it's a complex medical condition that can affect anyone. Compassion, understanding, and proper treatment are essential to recovery and can lead to successful outcomes. Some treatment modalities that have shown success in therapy when treating SUD include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Contingency Management (CM), Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), as well as a facilitated 12 step program and a trauma focused lens. Whether you're concerned about your own substance use or worried about a loved one, help is available and healing is possible! Call our office at 859.338.0466 to schedule an appointment to work with one of our providers to start your healing journey to recovery. Our current offices are located in Lexington, Frankfort, and Richmond, KY. We have been trusted mental health professionals in Central Kentucky for over 22 years! Articles and Resources: https://drugabusestatistics.org/ https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/addiction-substance-use-disorders/what-is-a-substance-use-disorder https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6175215/ https://www.pyramid-healthcare.com/blog/2019/02/12/self-medication-and-addiction/ https://americanaddictioncenters.org/therapy-treatment