Awareness is a Key to Empathy and Hope for the Future

When life is a struggle, people can turn to the wrong sources for answers. And amid that struggle, occasionally people look for answers that are too permanent. In suicide prevention training, we are reminded that suicidal thinking itself is not the problem.  Suicidal thinking is usually only considered because of some other perceived impossible problem (Quinnett, 2007). Understanding this is the start of empathy.

Regardless of the path that leads people to use substances to deal with pain and emptiness, hope is always an option that can emerge from empathy. Offering hope begins with awareness of a problem (Wasserman et al., 2012). Over 70,000 people die each year from overdose in the US. International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is on August 31, and it is a global event. The purpose is to minimize the suffering. 

The hope is to raise awareness, of overdose and how it is preventable.  International Overdose Awareness Day is a day to learn about community services and how to prevent drug-related harm. Millions across the globe gather in their local communities to show support to each other and to remember loved ones lost.  It is a day to remember those who have suffered or passed away due to overdose and post a tribute to them. In doing so, we don’t commemorate the tragedy, but we recognize the suffering and offer a light of hope for the future.

One of the reasons that a remembrance day can be so beneficial is to help surviving loved-ones cope.  The grief experiences after losing a loved one to suicide can be complicated.  Complicated grief occurs when the feelings of loss are prolonged.  Loss may last longer when people are uncomfortable talking about it, particularly when there is stigma about overdose or suicide that might prevent an individual from seeking needed support (Young, et al. 2012). The unique type of grief around suicide is more likely to have components of guilt, confusion, rejection, shame, and anger. Therefore, it is recommended that survivors of suicide loss seek help.  Find resources to understand all of the issues related to guilt and responsibility, rejection and abandonment, and learn how to manage stigma to remove the shame. 

For those who can’t make it to a local overdose awareness and remembrance event, you can also show support with friends at home or online. Talking to people who have similar experiences is one way to help each other.  Use stories of loss to provide healing, give hope for the future, share advice, and offer help when needed. 

Some may want to get involved by posting a tribute on social media, following @overdoseawarenessday, and using the hashtags #Overdoseday, #Endoverdose, and #IOAD2021. These social media forms will open you to thousands of stories and tributes of overdose victims and survivors in the month of August.  Your small contribution of time will help bring light to the problem of suicide and overdose affecting so many worldwide.  Help others by bringing awareness of this problem and change lives, and by offering healing for the future.

References

• Quinnett, P. (2007). QPR gatekeeper training for suicide prevention: The model, rationale, and theory. Retrieved July, 28, 2008.
• Wasserman, C., Hoven, C. W., Wasserman, D., Carli, V., Sarchiapone, M., Al-Halabi, S., ... & Poštuvan, V. (2012). Suicide prevention for youth-a mental health awareness program: lessons learned from the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) intervention study. BMC public health, 12(1), 1-12.
• Tal Young, I., Iglewicz, A., Glorioso, D., Lanouette, N., Seay, K., Ilapakurti, M., & Zisook, S. (2012). Suicide bereavement and complicated grief. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 14(2), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2012.14.2/iyoung CDC (2017). Awareness Day — August 31, 2017.
• MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 66(34):897., 66(34). (2020). International Overdose Awareness Day get involved, Overdoseday.com