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Suicide ranks as the tenth-leading cause of death in the United States, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) reports, and an estimated 1.4 million suicide attempts took place in 2017. Yet there are many ways to promote suicide education and prevention, and to support suicide loss survivors around the world, such as:

1. Promote Self-Care

A survivor of suicide loss is susceptible to a wide range of powerful emotions, including shock, anger, guilt, despair, and confusion, and these emotions may continue for weeks or months after the loss of a loved one to suicide. It is important to realize that the aforementioned emotions are only temporary, but self-care activities may help a person move past them.

There are many ways to practice self-care, such as going for a walk outdoors, getting a massage, and volunteering in your community. If you’re coping with the loss of a loved one to suicide, try different self-care options that make you feel good. You can also encourage someone struggling with the loss of a loved one to do the same.

2. Review Survivor Loss Resources

The loss of a loved one to suicide often raises questions and concerns that can be virtually impossible to answer, but resources are available to help you cope.

For example, you can read a book or watch a film from the AFSP’s book and film recommendations for suicide loss survivors. You can also contact the National Suicide Prevention Line for additional guidance and support.  

3. Engage in a Group Discussion

Losing a loved one to suicide can be a difficult topic to discuss, but engaging with others in a group discussion about this subject may be helpful. With a group discussion, you and others coping with the loss of a loved one can share your thoughts and feelings with one another, without blame, shame, or guilt.

Use the AFSP’s group discussion guidelines to create a dialogue with family members, friends, and others around suicide loss. AFSP also offers suicide loss support groups in cities and towns across the United States.

4. Speak Out About Suicide

Education plays a key role in suicide prevention. If you feel comfortable, you can speak out about suicide and share your story with others. This allows you to educate others about the dangers associated with suicide.

If you decide to express your thoughts and feelings about suicide, follow the advice in AFSP’s speak out about suicide guide to share your suicide loss story or encourage others to share their stories.

5. Seek Out Professional Help

Complicated grief can make it difficult for a person coping with suicide loss to function. If grief continues beyond 12 months after this loss, an individual may want to pursue professional help.

Psychotherapy may be a good option for an individual dealing with the loss of a loved one to suicide. This form of therapy can help an individual develop coping strategies to manage his or her emotions.

In addition to psychotherapy, antidepressant medications may be used to help a person manage his or her complicated grief symptoms. Medications may be prescribed on their own, or used in combination with psychotherapy, to help a person cope with the loss of a loved one to suicide.

Suicide loss survivors may cope with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) that causes fatigue, body aches, and other physical symptoms, as well as anxiety, stress, and various emotional symptoms. Thus, different coping strategies and treatment methods are often needed to help survivors of suicide loss manage these symptoms.

At Achieve Concierge, we understand the physical and emotional challenges associated with recovering from the loss of a loved one, and engage our patients on multiple levels of care. That way, we provide each patient with a total wellness experience to treat the mind, body, and spirit. To learn more, please contact us online, or call us today at (858) 221-0344.

Holistic care refers to a form of treatment that focuses on the whole person. A holistic treatment emphasizes an individual’s body, mind, and spirit, and it may be used for mental health therapy. In fact, a holistic treatment is sometimes used in lieu of or in addition to different medications used in traditional mental health therapies.

How Does a Holistic Treatment for Mental Health  Work?

Holistic medicine is all about balance. It is based on the idea that a person consists of interdependent parts, and if one of these parts isn’t working properly, a physical, emotional, or spiritual imbalance occurs. In this instance, a person’s overall health suffers.

In addition, holistic medicine promotes the use of unconditional love and support to help a person overcome any ailments. It emphasizes that all people have healing powers, and that each patient is defined by who they are — not by his or her disease. Furthermore, holistic medicine encourages treating the causes of an individual’s symptoms, and not just treating the symptoms themselves.

For mental health treatment, holistic medicine requires a focus on techniques and strategies to help an individual take responsibility for his or her own well-being. That way, an individual can use different techniques or strategies to improve his or her overall health.

There are many techniques or strategies that can be used as part of a holistic treatment program for mental health, including education, alternative therapies, or both.

An educational program allows a holistic medicine practitioner to teach a patient about lifestyle changes as well as self-care techniques and strategies that promote wellness. These efforts can include any of the following: psychotherapy, exercise, diet, and relationship and spiritual counseling.

Alternative therapies, like massage therapy and acupuncture, can also be incorporated into a holistic treatment program for mental health. These therapies can be used in combination with education as well.

Is a Holistic Treatment Program for Mental Health the Right Choice?

A holistic approach can sometimes be used to treat depression, and the overall effectiveness of a holistic treatment program for mental health varies based on the individual. In certain instances, patients benefit from holistic treatments on their own. At other points, holistic therapies do not help a patient and so they choose a more traditional medical therapy. Some patients might even select a combination of holistic and traditional treatments for mental health.

It is important to note that holistic therapies cannot always serve as alternatives to standard medical therapies. In some cases, standard medical therapy is the only realistic option to treat depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders. For patients who are considering holistic therapy, standard medical therapy, or both, it helps to learn about different treatment options. Meeting with the medical clinicians at Achieve Concierge can make a world of difference for those who are on the lookout for mental health treatment options.

Achieve Concierge’s medical clinicians take a collaborative approach to mental wellness. They understand that no two patients are exactly the same, and work directly with a patient to help him or her identify the best mental health treatment. Plus, our clinicians prioritize each patient’s personal mental wellness and lifestyle needs, and strive to create a personalized treatment plan that delivers long-lasting results.

Evaluating both holistic and traditional treatments for mental health is often difficult, but the medical clinicians at Achieve Concierge are happy to help in any way possible. If you or someone you know is coping with depression, anxiety, or other disorders but find that medication is ineffective, we can help you explore different treatment options for mental health. To learn more or to schedule a consultation, please contact us online, or call us today at (858) 221-0344.