CINCINNATI (WKRC) – As spring arrives, mental health specialists are urging families and friends to ask direct questions if they’re worried someone they love may be struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts — including one that may feel uncomfortable but can be critical: “Do you have a plan?”
WKRC
Dr. Tracy Cummings, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Lindner Center of Hope, said asking about a plan helps clarify the level of risk and what kind of support is needed.
“Absolutely, why? I know people get nervous,” Cummings said. “We need to understand how to best support them. It also lets us know if these are more than just fleeting thoughts coming to their mind, but something they’re thinking about taking action on.”
Cummings recently discussed the issue on “What’s Happening in Health.” She is a psychiatrist at the Lindner Center of Hope, which provides inpatient and outpatient care at its hospital in Mason.
Cummings said follow-up questions can help determine whether the situation is escalating.
“Have they taken any steps to carry out their plan? Do they have the intention to carrying out that plan?” she said. “That let’s us know when we’re moving up the sort of severity ring to say we would need hospitalization.”
Mental health professionals also emphasized that spring can be a high-risk time for suicide. While many people expect to feel happier, specialists said some may also experience a surge of energy that can increase the risk of acting on suicidal thoughts.
Cummings said warning signs are not always obvious and may not look like depression.
“It may not always be depression but a serious stressor in their life, major hardships in some way,” she said. “And then if you have concerns to start that conversation, working with them to help get them the support they need.”
For help, the Lindner Center of Hope can be reached at 513-536-4673. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is also available 24/7 and connects callers to local support.