In this op-ed, Rory Gory, safe messaging expert at the Trevor Project, explains why talking about suicide is important, but how we talk about it is even more important.

There’s a common misconception that talking about suicide will “give people ideas” and cause them to have suicidal ideation. Suicide can be frightening, and most people don’t know what to do or say when someone is in crisis. In reality, talking about suicide is key to preventing it. Depression is treatable, suicide is preventable, and ending the stigma around mental illness is vital to helping those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts.

In that spirit, many people take to the Internet to start conversations about suicide, thinking that they will be able to make a positive difference. Here’s where the problem happens: While we need to talk about suicide, there are ways in which the media can create suicide contagion.

So what exactly is suicide contagion? According to the second edition of Talking About Suicide & LGBT Populations, “Contagion risk tends to occur when there is a high volume and prominence of media stories about a suicide death, when details about the circumstances or methods of the suicide are emphasized, and when persons who have died by suicide are depicted in ways that encourage identification by vulnerable individuals.”

If you’re exposed to graphic imagery and narratives about suicide, such as a compelling TV show about someone who died by suicide, or a detailed article about a suicide death, it can glamorize suicide. For those who are struggling with depression or suicidal ideation, messaging like this can be triggering. Many people, especially young people, aren’t aware of free resources that they can turn to, like the Trevor Project or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. When the media or popular YouTubers share painful imagery but don’t offer support or information for what to do when you’re in crisis, it can leave vulnerable individuals feeling hopeless and alone.

According to the CDC suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24 and LGB youth are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth. In a national survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality, 40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt in their lifetime and 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25.

Research also shows that risk of suicide contagion can be reduced when media report on suicide in a responsible way. Nonprofits like us, Crisis Text Line, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and many others offer education, resources, and crisis intervention, but we need your help to get the word out. We ask media outlets and influencers to reach out to the suicide prevention community to learn how to raise awareness and prevent suicide with safe messaging.

If you’re in crisis, know that you deserve support. Reach out to us 24/7 at 866-488-7386 or text and chat us. If you want to get involved, learn the signs, the facts, and how you can help prevent suicide. No matter what, you are not alone.

Related: Logan Paul's Latest YouTube Video Showed Someone Who Seemingly Died by Suicide

