Tova Tenenbaum sports a “Drive Out Suicide” bumper sticker on her car’s hatchback door to make it easy for people to notice. The sticker has a crisis telephone number 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and is for anyone in need or anyone who knows someone in need. A referral can be made for mental health services. Military veterans, who are in a separate health system, need only press #1 to get info directly related to them.
Tenenbaum says the hope is to take away the stigma around the issue and prevent suicides. A social worker at the Montgomery County Emergency Service in Norristown, she says that, even without a diagnosable mental health condition, a person going through a very rough time may become suicidal. “The people who are most likely to commit suicide seem to be the least likely to talk about it.”
Visit the Drive Out Suicide blog here, www.preventsuicidepa.org/blog, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Adult/Older Adult Suicide Prevention Coalition.
