I’m a social worker with suicidal ideation..what do I do now? Part 5

Sep 2

The following blog post will explore the nature of depression and how it can become severe and persistent which leads to thoughts that encourage use to take our lives, harm ourselves, isolate or shut down in order to cope. No one person, not matter the skills level, can manage this health issue alone.

Trauma Exposure

Another aspect of being a social worker is the exposure we receive through working with clients. We are exposed not only to the trauma of our clients but also the families, groups, communities and systems we work with in our profession. Even many of our colleagues have been exposed to trauma which in turns exposes us to additional trauma through shared conversations, case consultation and other professional work. In addition, our nervous systems can have specific responses to trauma. We can see our own trauma responses, develop depression, anxiety or other mental health needs. This can be exacerbated due to our own past exposures, our own mental health issues, lack of supports or resources. If we do not guard against this exposure, we can experience some significant responses and maladaptive ways of coping with our field.

The nature of mental health

For anyone who has experienced major depression or has a history of trauma; the symptoms can be debilitating. They can take one down, and make it hard to get out of bed, to go to work, to school, or perform other life obligations. It can have us thinking thoughts that are not true or accurate. Some of these thoughts either due to depression or even a trauma response, lead us to believe that our lives are not worth living, that nothing will get better or that we don’t have any current ability to change what is happening to us. This is the nature of depression and trauma; it can be severe and persistent. This is true for most major medical issues like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Its nature is to be severe and to take over which makes our thoughts tricky and the need for external support important.

When are thoughts and beliefs are not accurate, we cannot just “power through it” and I would argue this can cause additional suffering and harm. We need the support, the external reality testing and sometimes we need medication to help correct the thoughts. These thoughts, due to their persistent nature and inaccuracy, can lead to us taking action through dying by suicide, self-harm, or other maladaptive behaviors. This can include staying in bed, sleeping excessive hours of time, eating/not eating, drinking fluids/not drinking fluids, ruminating thoughts, dark depressive thoughts and suicidal thoughts. We cannot just social work ourselves out of it or hope it will go away.

Just became I am a social worker:

Being a social worker does not mean we are immune to mental health issues just like it does not mean we are immune to any health issues. Just because we are a social worker doesn’t mean we should know better, know how to “treat ourselves” or that can get through it quickly. The nature of depression is that it alters our thoughts and even that our skills might not be valid during this time. Depressive thoughts, trauma responses, and suicidal ideation take up our resources and most of our energy. Also being a social worker doesn’t also mean we don’t need medication, therapy services or even services at a higher level of care. Sometimes we need to seek more intensive treatment like group therapy, partial hospitalization or even inpatient hospitalization. It might mean we need to create our own safety plan with loved ones or our therapist, or other treatment provider.

If any of this sounds like this sounds familiar, close to your experience or someone you know, please reach out for help. Seeing a therapist who can work with you as a social worker is possible and there are many of out there. Needing to take medication, seek out treatment at a higher level of care or even at the inpatient level of care is okay. Building you social support network to have people who understand you and can be a support is imperative. We need you for the profession and we need you to contribute as the wonder human being you are.

Lastly:

If you need help, please reach out to 988 in the US, seek out a therapist, your primary doctor for medication, seek out treatment at another level of care, or check out the resources below.

Resources:

West Michigan Survivors of Suicide Loss:

West Michigan Survivors of Suicide Loss (wmsosl.com)

988 Line:

SAMHSA Awards Vibrant Emotional Health the Grant to Administer 988 Dialing Code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline | SAMHSA

Suicide Prevention Resource Center:

Populations | Suicide Prevention Resource Center (sprc.org)

NAMI:

Identity and Cultural Dimensions | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

BIPOC/AAPI Mental Health Resources – NAMI NH

Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

LGBTQ+: Lifeline (suicidepreventionlifeline.org)