Speakers lined up to remember fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and children who took their lives. They wore beaded necklaces with different colors that symbolized how suicide has touched them. Then
PITTSFIELD â After her sonâs death, Peggy Morse made it her mission to create a space for fellow suicide loss survivors to gather, grieve and honor the lives of their loved ones.
When her son died by suicide in the late â90s, there were no local support groups to lean into, Morse said. Sheâd drive more than an hour to East Longmeadow, where she found a community of survivors who lost loved ones to suicide, also.
But Morse â who was honored earlier this year for her decades of work in the field of suicide prevention and healing from loss â knew there were others across the Berkshire who were attempting to cope with suicide loss too.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (24/7): 800-273-8255
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Berkshire County, warmline (non-crisis): 413-445-1136
Information for parents
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: tinyurl.com/3hnb3u4k
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: tinyurl.com/9wtnwjwp
To make an effort to help, experts say, people should begin by asking youths how they are doing, and those conversations can normalize talking about feelings of stress and sadness. Also, schools, pediatricians and mental health providers are collaborating to ensure that families can access the resources they need.
If someone opens up about their feelings, a good first step is to offer validation and appreciation, as well as referrals to possible sources of support, Heim said.