# Hot Topic Tuesday: Suicide Rates post-disaster
**URL:** https://faith360.discourse.group/t/hot-topic-tuesday-suicide-rates-post-disaster/852
**Category:** Stories & Updates
**Tags:** hot-topic-tuesday, mental-health
**Created:** [July 14, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://faith360.discourse.group/t/hot-topic-tuesday-suicide-rates-post-disaster/852 "2026-07-14T18:11:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Doreen.Garris](https://faith360.discourse.group/u/Doreen.Garris)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://faith360.discourse.group/t/hot-topic-tuesday-suicide-rates-post-disaster/852/1 "2026-07-14T18:11:23Z")
Studies have shown an increase of suicides after a natural disaster. (See [Article published by University of Delaware](http://udel.edu/faculty-staff/media-experts/spotlight/?postid=9456))
**What are we doing to mitigate self-harm?**
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### Author:  [@Doreen.Garris](https://faith360.discourse.group/u/Doreen.Garris)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://faith360.discourse.group/t/hot-topic-tuesday-suicide-rates-post-disaster/852/2 "2026-07-14T18:11:23Z")
At the mental health gathering on June 30, attendees stated the following:
- Work on becoming comfortable with asking hard questions in a straightforward manner.
- It’s important to talk about it in a faith community. Make it a goal as a church to de-stigmatize mental health
- Have individuals create a plan for themselves, if they were to be hit with suicidal thoughts, who will they reach out to?
- Be intentional from the pulpit, look for small ways to plant seeds that remove shame associated with mental health issues
- Be intentional about the language used. People may be less inclined to admit relating to a clinical word like “depression”, but may be able to say they’ve been feeling “blue”.