Sometimes the ways people deal with pain are harmful to themselves; that\u2019s according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n
They say there are more than 616,000 emergency department visits for self-harm injuries each year.<\/p>\n
Suicide, they say, is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Sometimes the ways people deal with pain are harmful to themselves, that\u2019s according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Experts say when a person engages in acts of self-harm, it is often to cope with emotional pain
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When emotional pain becomes too much, suicidal urges may arise<\/p>\n
According to the New York State Department of Health\u2019s Community Health Indicator Dashboard, between 2022 and 2023, suicide mortality for youth ages 15 to 19 rose.<\/p>\n
The CDC offers suggestions to help handle difficult, common emotions such as deep breathing and writing in a journal when feeling anxious, joining clubs with shared interests to address loneliness, and seeking counseling when experiencing grief.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started cutting myself when I was 11,” Emily Crumb said.<\/p>\n
Crumb said that\u2019s when it all started.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember just being angry, and I felt really isolated, and I felt like there was no outlet,” Crumb said. “After I attempted suicide, I was admitted to the behavioral unit, and I was 17 or 18. They only had adult behavioral unit there. So, I had to go to the adult behavioral unit. And it was terrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garra Lloyd-Lester is the coordinator of community and coalition initiatives for the Suicide Prevention Center of New York.<\/p>\n
He says when a person engages in acts of self-harm, it is often to cope with emotional pain.<\/p>\n
When emotional pain becomes too much, suicidal urges may arise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all have our own emotional pain thresholds, and it differs and the contributors to how I might get to emotional pain might be different than you,\u201d Lloyd-Lester said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, if I have exceeded my capacity to handle that pain, I may think to myself, all I know that I want the pain to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
He and Crumb have suggestions to help young people facing emotional pain.<\/p>\n
They say to have conversations with kids about how they\u2019re doing, to listen, to be kind whenever you can because you don\u2019t know what others are going through.<\/p>\n
Lloyd-Lester refers to the acronym FACTS as warning signs to look for. F is for feelings, A – actions, C – changes, T – threats, and S – situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things that we like about using that acronym, for example, too, is it can empower a parent to go to the young person in their life and say, \u2018I’m worried about you, and here’s why’,” Lloyd-Lester said.<\/p>\n
Crumb said her faith has been an encouragement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe pray for other people all the time. But I found myself, especially in the last year or two, praying for me. We also deserve to pray for ourselves and just tell God that, like, I feel really weak, but I know that You put me on this earth and that You have a bigger plan for me,” said Crumb.<\/p>\n
Crumb is now a nurse, helping save lives, and an advocate for mental health awareness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the feeling of saving a life. I think maybe that has to do with my trying to take my own,\u201d Crumb said. \u201cAnd I’m not sure. But the feeling when somebody needs you, they depend on you and nothing else in the world really matters besides helping them, and it feels like meditation to me almost.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CDC offers suggestions to help handle difficult emotions such as deep breathing and writing in a journal when feeling anxious, joining clubs to address loneliness, and seeking counseling when experiencing grief.<\/p>\n