Content warning: this will explore death by suicide. If you are at risk please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. is 1-800-273-825.
This week’s #Makeover Monday was a somber topic about death by suicide in England and Wales. Suicide is caused by self-directed harm with an intent to die, and it is preventable. If you feel that you need help or you know someone who needs help there are resources available to aid you and loved ones. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. is 1-800-273-825, a free and confidential service to help.
Do you Need Help? Do you Know Someone Who Needs Help?
Call a free and confidential service where you’ll be connected to help and resources. Samaritans, UK, 116 123 | NHS Direct, Wales, 0845 4647 |National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, U.S., 1-800-273-8255
Original Visualization
Suicide is a serious public health problem that has lasting harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities. Risk factors involve individual, community, and societal factors such as: family history of suicide, mental disorders, alcohol and substance disorder, and barriers to seek help such as stigma. Protective factors include clinical care for mental, physical, and substance abuse. Ongoing family and community support and access to clinical interventions are protective factors. The original visualization is shown below.
- What works and what doesn’t work with this chart?
- This viz is aesthetically beautiful; however given the subject it covers I feel that more muted colors are better. This does clearly illustrate the difference in number of deaths across time and age range.
- How can you make it better?
- I like this viz and this week I wanted to focus on the color choice, and create a muted design. I also wanted to include context because death by suicide is a heavy topic to cover along with resources for anyone who might be struggling with this issue.
My visualization is shown below and is available on Tableau Public.
Webinar Review
While I didn’t receive a direct critique on my viz, I appreciated hearing the feedback from Eva and Sarah. Some themes on other dashboards included:
- Topics such as deaths by suicide are very sensitive topics, including a content warning is recommended so that individuals are aware of the gravity of this topic.
- A call to action or information on resources for individuals who may need help, is extremely important. Keep in mind where you are based (i.e. I’m in the U.S. and have included a U.S. phone number).
- Muted colors may work better for this topic given the subject being explored.
- Bridget Cogley wrote about the appropriate way to discuss/present death and suicide, providing practical tips to consider and actions to take as you visualize death. The most striking thing to me was the responsibility that we hold as we visualize very serious topics that represent lives lost. You can read on this here.
Resources
Do you Need Help? Do you Know Someone Who Needs Help?
Call a free and confidential service where you’ll be connected to help and resources. Samaritans, UK, 116 123 | NHS Direct, Wales, 0845 4647 |National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, U.S., 1-800-273-8255
Death by Suicide is preventable.
If you are struggling please know that you are not alone, there are resources available to aid you during this time. Family and friends can also reach out for help if they need guidance in supporting someone they love. The QPR Institute is another resource available to receive training on QPR – Question, Persuade, and Refer. These three steps can be learned by anyone and can help prevent suicide. More information on that is available here.
Ingrid's Arreola 