HJAR Jul/Aug 2019

Healthcare Journal of ARKANSAS  I  JUL / AUG 2019 57 Bruce Trimble, MA, APR Director of Business Development The BridgeWay Hospital together, we must change our behavior, spe- cifically, the way in which we communicate, both listening and talking, about mental health. In my experience, I have heard sev- eral words and phrases that reinforce stigma, and I am sure you have too. Working with my colleagues, I began to document those phrases and discuss alter- natives so we can reframe the conversation. The graphic above includes some of the stig- matizing terms we have replaced with more respectful words and phrases. Please email me with your suggestions for reframing the conversation. Bruce.trimble@ uhsinc.com Reframing the Conversation About Suicide • When talking about suicide, it is challenging Stigmatizing terms Rationale for reframing Respectful terms Abuser, addict, user Terms suggests the person is using substances Person in recovery voluntarily instead of struggling with a disease Committed suicide Term evokes association with committing a crime Person died by suicide instead of a public health issue Crazy, nuts, whacko, Terms reinforce misperception of a person with Person in need of care psycho, loco, etc. mental health issues Denial Term is pejorative and ignores individual coping skills Person lacking insight Frequent flyers, repeat Terms minimize the needs of a person with mental health issues Former patient offenders Indigent person Term suggests person is ineligible for health care, an EMTALA Unfunded patient violation Obamacare Term is politically charged and potentially divisive Healthcare reform Shrink Term is pejorative and reinforces stereotypes of mental health Psychiatrist, therapist professionals Successful/unsuccessful Success implies death by suicide is success and a nonfatal Person died by suicide suicide attempt is a failure Wards Term reinforces stigma associated with mental health care Programs and services Shock therapy Term is antiquated and reinforces misperceptions about ECT Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to know what to say or how to say it. Yet it is better to acknowledge suicide as a public health crisis than to say nothing at all. Here are some tips to consider when speaking about this issue. • Highlight solutions rather than the prob- lem. Include concrete guidance, such as the warning signs for suicide, and steps to take if someone is in crisis. • Use non-stigmatizing language. When de- scribing a suicidal event, use phrases such as “he/she died by suicide” or “killed him- self/herself.” Avoid terms like “successful suicide,” “unsuccessful suicide,” or “failed attempt” (as these terms imply death is equated with success and that a nonfa- tal attempt is a failure) and “committed suicide” (which implies a criminal act in- stead of a public health issue). • Make sure data, if used, are strategic, safe, and prevention-focused. Repeated use of extensive statistics about suicide can un- dermine prevention goals by making sui- cide seem more common than it is. Avoid providing dark or alarming images or using language such as epidemic and skyrock- eting, depictions of suicide methods, and extensive statistics on the problem. Focus instead on solutions and action appropri- ate to the message rather than simply re- iterating the problem. • Avoid normalizing suicidal behavior by presenting it as common or acceptable. Help people understand that suicide is