The Behavioral Health Toolkit - Educating Our Way to a Better Future

Suicide prevention is vital to the future of our youth.

In 2020, 45,979 people in America died by suicide, and 1.20 million attempted it.

If we educate ourselves and others about the signs of suicide, anxiety, and depression, we can fight together to lower the risks of death by suicide or stop suicide completely.

A great tool to have while educating yourself and others is the Behavioral health toolkit.

Another good tool is the Mental health crisis toolkit.

What is the Behavioral health toolkit?

Behavioral health refers to services for people with conditions that stem from the brain and impacts their behavior.

Issues such as depression, schizophrenia, and substance abuse disorder could require different forms of behavioral health care.

Other conditions like autism also may affect a person’s behavioral health.

The Behavioral health toolkit is a packet designed to inform parents, schools, doctors, and other caregivers about how to help the child in their time of crisis and beyond.

It contains information for services available through the schools, medical system, family support, and other places.

How do I get it?

The behavioral health toolkit is typically sent home from school because the child is showing behavioral health issues that are concerning. It may also be handed to you by your primary care physician or other providers.

Each state has some version of it for parents, doctors, schools, and other places where the care of a child is involved.

What is the Mental health crisis toolkit?

The Mental health crisis toolkit is handed to the parents or caregivers when a youth is brought into the emergency room for suicide attempts.

It is designed to calm the parents down, ease their mind, and teach them how to talk to their child and the community.

It teaches parents the best way to support their child, get them help, and educate others, so they can be part of the support system, as we all join the fight against suicide.

How you can help stop suicide

The best way every person can help bring an end to suicide is compassion.

Many suicides stem from a person feeling unheard or unwanted, bullied, or abused.

If you know someone who is suicidal, talk to them — ask questions.

Sometimes the person just wants to be heard and feel understood.

Ask them their thoughts.

Don’t be afraid to compassionately ask them if they have thought of death — talking helps more than you know at times.

Urge them to seek the help of a therapist.

Have them call or text the National Suicide Hotline at 988.

You can also go with them to a suicide prevention charity to learn ways to cope and recover from their mental health crisis.

The Behavioral health toolkit and Mental health crisis toolkit are powerful educational tools.

It is by educating ourselves and others that we can eradicate this life-threatening mental health crisis.

If you or someone you know are having suicidal thoughts, text or call the National Suicide Hotline at 988, to get help.