September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness, challenge stigma, remember those we have lost, and remind people that support is available.
This year, the message feels especially important. The 2026 theme for World Suicide Prevention Day, observed on September 10, is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide,” with a simple but powerful call to action: Start the Conversation.
For a long time, suicide has been surrounded by silence. People may be afraid that talking about suicide will make things worse, unsure what to say, or worried about saying the wrong thing. That silence can leave someone who is struggling feeling even more alone.
Changing the narrative means making it easier to talk about mental health, emotional pain, suicidal thoughts, and the need for help without shame or judgment. It means creating communities where someone can say, “I’m not doing well,” and know that they will be met with compassion.
Starting the Conversation
You do not have to be a mental health professional to make a difference in someone’s life. Sometimes it begins with noticing that someone seems different and being willing to check in. Ask how they are doing, and give them space to answer honestly. Listen without immediately trying to fix the situation. Let them know they matter and that they do not have to face what they are experiencing alone.
It is also okay to talk directly about suicide when you are concerned about someone. Conversations about suicide do not have to be perfect. What matters is showing up, listening, and taking the person seriously.
Changing the narrative also means changing the way we talk about people who experience suicidal thoughts. A person can be struggling deeply while still having hope for the future. Asking for help is not weakness. Mental health challenges are not character flaws, and no one should have to reach a crisis point before feeling that they are worthy of support.
Connection Can Make a Difference
Suicide prevention is not limited to responding during a crisis. It also happens in the everyday ways we create connection. It happens when we check on a friend who has withdrawn. It happens when families make room for honest conversations about mental health. It happens when workplaces, schools, and communities create environments where people feel safe asking for help. It happens when we listen to people with lived experience and allow their voices to shape how we understand suicide and prevention.
At NAMI Southwest Washington, we believe connection, education, support, and open conversation can help reduce stigma and remind people that they are not alone.
This September, we encourage you to help change the narrative. Check in with someone. Talk openly about mental health. Listen without judgment. Share resources. Make space for conversations that may be difficult but deeply important. Sometimes starting the conversation is the first step toward helping someone find hope.
A Story of Hope
For Lydia Dobbins, suicidal thoughts began when she was only seven years old and continued alongside depression and anxiety for many years. As a young adult, she reached a point where those thoughts became especially dangerous.
Eventually, Lydia began counseling and learned tools that helped her navigate the moments when suicidal thoughts returned. One of the most meaningful was a safety plan, a list of steps she could follow when she was struggling, including connecting with other people and getting outside in nature.
Today, Lydia describes herself as being in recovery. She went on to become a certified recreation therapist and has worked in psychiatric hospitals and as a case manager, using her own experiences to help others.
Her story is an important reminder that the way someone feels in their darkest moment does not have to determine the rest of their story. Support, connection, and simply being able to tell someone what is happening can be the beginning of something different.
Read Lydia Dobbins’ full story, “Surviving Suicidal Ideation and Finding Recovery,” on NAMI.org.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or suicidal crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Free, confidential support from trained crisis counselors is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
