Recognizing National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

We all know how important it is to speak up about mental health… and yet, when it comes down to actually doing it, it's one of the hardest things in the world. Most of us have been through something. Stress. A tough loss. Conflict. Stretches of real anxiety or depression. Those struggles are vulnerable and personal, so they don't get talked about… either because we don't know how, or because we've convinced ourselves everybody else has it more figured out than we do. And let's be honest… that's rarely true. The grass always looks greener. 

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and here's what I've decided… the most useful thing I can offer this month isn't a reflection. It's information. What do the warning signs actually look like? And what's available to every one of us at IST if we, or someone we love, ever needs it? 

National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month 



Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in this country, and it reaches people across every age, every background, every profession. According to the CDC, it claims tens of thousands of Americans every year. The hard part is, you can't always tell when someone's in crisis… and more often than not, it builds slowly. Prolonged stress. Isolation. Struggles somebody's been carrying alone, sometimes for a very long time. 

That's exactly why awareness matters so much. Let's normalize the conversation… make it just a little easier for someone to reach out before things get to be too much. 

Checking in. Taking a small moment to really connect with the people around us. That can make all the difference to someone who's struggling. You won't always spot it from the symptoms… but patterns, or sudden changes, are worth paying attention to. 

Signs Someone May Be Struggling: 

1. Withdrawing from people, routines, or things they normally enjoy. 
2. Speaking about feeling hopeless, trapped, or like a burden. 
3. Noticeable changes in sleep, mood, or energy. 
4. Increased use of alcohol or other substances. 
5. Giving away possessions or making final arrangements. 



Finding Support through IST 

At IST… we're committed to building a culture that takes mental health seriously. 

Resources available to every IST employee and their family, right now: 

• Unum's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) — free, confidential support for anxiety, depression, grief, relationship struggles, addiction, and more. Available 24/7 to you, your spouse or domestic partner, your kids, and even your parents. Call 1-800-854-1446 or visit unum.com/lifebalance. 
• The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call, text, or chat 988 anytime for free, confidential support, whether you're in crisis or worried about someone else. 
• The National Suicide Prevention Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 support from a trained counselor. 
• Our updated Mental & Emotional Health Resources page — a living hub with crisis lines, free meditation tools, addiction treatment locators, and specialized support for our attorney clients, available anytime at istmanagement.com/mental-health-resources. 

Here's what I keep coming back to… getting the culture right means we have to actually talk about this. Too often, mental health gets misunderstood, or waved off, and that leaves good people feeling like they have to carry something heavy all on their own. They shouldn't have to. Not here. 

Thanks to this incredible IST Family, I know none of us ever has to walk through it alone. Take care of yourselves… and take care of each other. Let's keep going… together.