CRANBERRY TWP — More than 800,000 people around the world reportedly die by suicide every year, with more than 44,000 of those occurring in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Local agencies Wednesday evening aimed to educate people on suicide prevention with a workshop at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA, including looking for warning signs and seeking help.

“It's an issue that has grown in recent years. We have seen a dramatic spike in Allegheny County, Butler County and Westmoreland County,” said Cranberry Township EMS Chief Jeff Kelly. “We had seven folks last year who were close to home (Cranberry).”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. and occurs twice as much as homicides.

Wednesday's workshop was hosted by the Cranberry Area Diversity Network.

“This was a needed session where people could learn what to do for family and employees,” said diversity coordinator Charles Hawkins.

[naviga:h3]Workplace suicide[/naviga:h3]

Kelly, a 27-year veteran in emergency services, spoke about post-traumatic stress disorder that volunteers in police, fire and emergency services face. Cranberry Township EMS had two workplace-related suicides last year.

Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says workplace suicides in the nation increased from 205 in 1992 to 282 in 2013.

“We go from call to call to call,” Kelly said. “There are days we hop from place to place to serve the community. But who is taking care of us?”

Kelly said the reason for the increase is unknown since death certificates do not list the branch of emergency services for those who die from suicide.

“It does not say 'volunteer firefighter' or 'volunteer EMS person,'” he said. “We have a really hard time collecting statistical data to hone in on what these numbers really are.”

He also said police officer have a higher propensity to commit suicide.

Kelly said 47 percent of those who committed suicide did so with a firearm. Another 35 percent do so through stabbing or cutting.

He said some possible reasons include added stress on workers' lives as well as post-traumatic stress disorder from graphic situations seen on a frequent basis.

“I wish I knew (why),” he said. “People are not willing to speak up about this. Education for management is needed.”

[naviga:h3]Mental health link[/naviga:h3]

Jennifer Sikora, associate area director for the AFSP, talked about mental health's connection to suicide.

AFSP statistics say nine out of 10 people who die from suicide have a mental health disorder, which may not be diagnosed or treated. They also say only one out of every five people seeks treatment.

“Mental health has the word 'health' in it for a reason,” Sikora said. “It's because our bodies are physical. Our brains are physical. The good news is because it's a health issue, it can be prevented.”

Sikora is an impact survivor of suicide. Her late sister, Chrissy, killed herself in 2001 at the age of 26.

“She was my shadow,” she said. “We were best friends.”

There is no one reason for suicide, Sikora said in her speech Wednesday. Health, environmental and historical factors, however, contribute.

Environmental factors include having access to lethal means, dealing with prolonged stress, suffering stressful life events and exposure to another person's suicide.

People with a family history of suicide, having previous suicide attempts or who suffered from child abuse also are at more risk than others.

“It's a very difficult topic to talk about,” Sikora said. “For every suicide, 25 people will attempt.”

She also said a suicide occurs once every five hours in Pennsylvania.

[naviga:h3]Warning signs[/naviga:h3]

Suicide warning signs include people talking about unbearable pain, feeling hopeless or talking about killing themselves. Behaviors such as increased drug or alcohol use, isolation, giving away possessions and sleeping too little or too much also are signs.

Other signs of mood changes include depression, anxiety, agitation and humiliation, among others.

“Sometimes they (signs) can be less subtle like, 'I can't take this anymore,'” Sikora said. “People can also share pieces of content onto their social media that they didn't directly write. If this is constantly happening, this is a red flag.”

Sikora said people who are dealing with others who are contemplating suicide should avoid the following: debating the value of life, giving advice to fix it and minimizing the person's feelings.

“You're not a therapist,” she said. “You don't want to say, 'You're just exaggerating' or 'Why are you so stressed?' Debating the value of life doesn't always help. All they're thinking about is the pain.”

[naviga:h3]Prevention, treatment[/naviga:h3]

Sikora said protective factors which may reduce risk include mental health care, support from loved ones, problem solving skills to better cope and religion.

“Mental health care cannot be emphasized enough,” she said. “It's perhaps the single most important thing to get care for yourself or get someone else care.”

Self-care methods for people suffering from depression or anxiety besides medication include exercise, having a healthy diet, stress management and better sleep.

Sikora also said limiting at-risk people to lethal means could help. These include installing carbon monoxide sensors in vehicles, building barriers for bridges, initiating firearm safety and having blister packaging for medications.

“Suicide can be very impulsive. A person can change their mind in a moment,” Sikora said. “We want to give them time to change their mind.”

The NFSP also has teamed up with the National Shooting Sports Foundation to teach firearm safety, including making it difficult for at-risk people to access firearms.

[naviga:h3]Ending the stigma[/naviga:h3]

One of the reasons people may not seek treatment, officials said, is because of the social stigma against suicide.

“There is a stigma about talking about suicide awareness,” said Amy Snyder, program manager for school-based services at Glade Run Lutheran Services. “I appreciate events like this where we are talking about it.”

“It's unfortunate this has become more prevalent,” she said.

Julie Wahlenmayer, director of Glade Run Adventures, said schools could also be “more accepting” of having mental health providers to serve as a resource for students.

If a person is thinking about committing suicide, call 800-273-TALK (8255). People also can text START to 741741 or call 911.