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September is Suicide Awareness Month

October 8, 2025

Written By: Betsy Aniol, Crescent Moon Advanced Clinical Intern

September was Suicide Awareness Month, and we want to highlight the unique risks during the perinatal period and importance of seeking help for you, or your loved ones.

One in four women experience mental health difficulties during the perinatal period (2). The risk of suicide goes up with trauma history, feelings of entrapment, and disillusionment with motherhood (1) . Given how common this issue is, it’s important to recognize the warning signs and risk factors. At the same time, there’s a lot of overlap with the stress of transitions into parenthood, lack of support, and short parental leave.

Warning Signs (3)

  • Less interest in activities that held personal importance such as hygiene or hobbies

  • Withdrawing from social network

  • Increase in drug or alcohol use

  • Regularly missing doctor’s appointments, especially those important for peripartum care

  • Conversations indicating feelings of hopelessness, despair, inadequacy, or feeling like a burden (example: “I’m a horrible parent, my baby deserves better than me.”)

If you observe these warning signs in yourself, know that you’re not alone and help is available. The first step is often talking with someone who feels safe – perhaps a friend, family member, your OB, your child’s pediatrician, or your therapist.
If you notice these warning signs and are worried about a loved one, it’s important to have a conversation. We acknowledge that this can feel intimidating! Here are some helpful things to consider:
  • Frame the conversation in a way that lets your loved one know this is coming from a place of love, care, and concern for them – avoid judgement or scorn.
  • Provide them with reassurance that you are a safe person to talk to and that they can depend on you to be there for them.
  • If you’re able, let them know that you can help connect them to the support they need.

 

Remember: directly asking someone if they’re thinking about suicide does not put the idea into their head. Rather, it can help them to reduce feelings of isolation and shame, which then decreases their risk of making a suicide attempt. (3)
Direct Questions:

  • “Do you ever have thoughts or feelings that scare you?”

  • “Do you ever have thoughts or feelings that make you worry about your own or your baby’s safety?”

  • “Do you have any thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself?”

  • “Have you thought about ways you might hurt yourself/take your own life?”

 

If your loved one answers yes to any of these questions, encourage them to see a mental health professional. It may be helpful for you to connect with a mental health professional as well, especially if your loved one is unwilling to seek other help. There is no shame in anyone seeking professional mental healthcare, even as someone who is “indirectly” impacted.
Once your loved one is connected with a mental health professional, they may be guided through making a coping and/or safety plan. As their loved one, you can continue to show support by offering to assist or support them with their safety plan.

For further resources, please see the following list for websites containing helpful information about suicide risk and prevention:

1 De Backer, K., Pali, A., Challacombe, F. L., Hildersley, R., Newburn, M., Silverio, S. A., Sandall, J., Howard, L. M., & Easter, A. (2024). Women’s experiences of attempted suicide in the perinatal period (ASPEN-study) – a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05686-3

2 Howard, L. M., & Khalifeh, H. (2020). Perinatal mental health: a review of progress and challenges. World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 19(3), 313–327. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20769

3 Perinatal suicide: Signs, safety and support options | PANDA. (2022, April 5). https://www.panda.org.au/articles/perinatal-suicide-signs-safety-and-support-options

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