b'|Suicide Prevention Workplan - Los Angleles |49 |50 A SnapShot of Local Initiatives: The Power of WordsWhen it comes to suicide prevention, the terms, phrases and words weWords to Consider.Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) use can have a signicant impact on the way messages are received. LACDMH has several initiatives and programs, including but not limited to: Messages can encourage someone to seek help and reach out, or theyRECOMMENDED terminologyCommunity Schools Initiative is an evidence-based school improvement framework that recognizescan push people further from the support they need.P Died by suicidethe role of family and community as key stakeholders who can collaborate with educators to addressThe suicide prevention community is trying to clarify the ways we allP Took their own lifeexternal factors that influence student achievement such as family circumstances, traumatic events,refer to actions related to suicide to better support help-seeking poverty and health outcomes, while incorporating cultural differences, and student engagement.behavior among those that are at risk. For example, the most commonP Ended their lifeFour pillars:term we use to describe someone ending their own life is that theAttempted to end their lifeindividual committed suicide. Consider this: What rst comes to mindP 1) integrated student supportswhen you hear the word commit? Crime? Sin? Those are the words that people typically think of when asked. Just the use of the wordNOT RECOMMENDED terminology2) collaborative leadership and practicecommit can carry an enormous amount of stigma and shame,Committed suicide3) family and community engagementpreventing people from reaching out for the support they need.Note: Use of the word commit Instead, it is recommended to use died by suicide. This phrase cantimplies a negative act such as a crime 4) collaborative leadership and practice be distorted and simply states the fact without placing shame or guiltor sin.on the individual or survivors of suicide loss. Another phrase toCompleted suicideTrauma Informed Practice Initiative is a partnership between the Los Angeles County Departmentconsider is successful versus unsuccessful to describe suicideNote: This associates suicide of Mental Health and the UCLA Center of Excellence to develop a trauma-based curriculum andattempts. There is no success or failure when it comes to suicide.with success.support implementation of CSI model which integrates trauma-informed parent engagement, earlyThese events should simply be referred to as a suicide death or aSuccessful attempt or childhood supports, tiered prevention curriculum, and cross services training. suicide attempt. Please assist us in changing the conversations aboutunsuccessful/failed attemptsuicide, and help us raise the bar for the conversations about suicideNote: There is no success, or lack of Partners in Suicide Prevention Team (PSP Team) offers community education, providesprevention. Each of us can play a part in promoting a more supportivesuccess, when dealing with suicide.best-practice training models in suicide prevention, and provides linkage and referrals to ageenvironment, and it begins with the words we use. appropriate services. The PSP team is available to offer suicide prevention trainings to district and schools, as well as support outreach and crisis services. Tips for Effective Messaging on Suicide PreventionP Provide a suicide prevention resource.SHIELDS for Families is a non-profit organization in South Los Angeles County. Programs promoteP Educate the audience on warning signs.family reunification and support families remaining intact in the community. Their TAY and school-based programs provide mental health screening, crisis intervention, group therapy, outreach, parental involvementP Avoid discussing details about the method of suicide.programs, Life Skills Groups, and after school activities to promote student connectedness. Website:P Explain complexity of suicide and avoid oversimplifying. Its natural to want to answer the why www.shieldsforfamilies.org involved in a suicide, but there is usually not one event that is the cause of a suicide attempt or death.Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed and celebrated LGBT individuals and families inP Focus on prevention and hope by using images and words that show people being supported, Los Angeles and beyond for over 50 years. Website: www.lalgbtcenter.org not suffering alone.P Avoid sensational language and statistics that make suicide seem common overall. Considerdata that highlights help-seeking such as number of calls to the local crisis line.Helpful Resources:Reporting suicide for the news media www.ReportingOnSuicide.orgFramework for Successful Messaging, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention www.SuicidePreventionMessaging.orgDraft 3.3.2020 Not For Distribution Draft 3.3.2020 Not For Distribution'