BREMERTON — When it comes to suicide, “Sometimes, the warning signs are not big, flashy, blatant signs,” said Kelly Schwab, program supervisor of the Crisis Clinic of the Peninsulas. “Sometimes, they’re pretty small things that can be hard to notice, and that’s something else to be aware of.”

The Crisis Clinic of the Peninsulas helps people in Kitsap and the surrounding area with suicidal thoughts, or who know others with suicidal thoughts. Their 24-hour hotlines are 360-479-3033 for Kitsap or Clallam counties, 360-385-0321 for Jefferson County or 1-800-843-4793.

The first three quarters of 2015 have shown a record number of deaths by suicide happened in Kitsap County, a total of 52. (The numbers from the end of the year have yet to be tallied.) Schwab said part of the increase could have to do with population increase in the area, “but nationwide, there is a trend right now.”

“Suicide is becoming more common,” he said, “the rates are going up.”

But, Schwab said, “Suicide is a symptom of a mental health condition or a health condition.”

He said it’s not unlike asthmatics dying from an asthma attack; dying by suicide is a symptom of an illness.

“The way the mind works on it, once a person starts thinking about suicide, they can be trapped into thinking that suicide is the only way, they have to die, and they have no choice in the matter,” Schwab said. “It’s at that point that a person makes that attempt.

“What I’m trying to really emphasize is, we’re talking about a symptom of an illness, and not a choice. And it is a treatable illness.”

He said that around 900 to 1,000 people call the clinic for help every month, at the clinic is not the only resource available to those with suicidal thoughts, or for people who think their loved ones or even just acquaintances may have those thoughts.

Schwab said that other than the clinic, people in Kitsap can find help at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255), Teen Link Crisis Center (206-461-4922), the Kitsap Mental Health’s 24-hour Crisis Response Team (360-373-3425) and emergency rooms or with medical health professionals.

To get help for a loved one, Schwab said there are “three basic options: they can either try to get the person to talk with us or a mental health professional; they can get the person to go to the emergency room or call 911; or they can try to stay with the person until the crises pass.”

He added that one of the biggest things a person can do for someone with suicidal thoughts is to give them a chance to talk.

“Which means that, if they are going to do that, they have to be willing to listen to what the person needs to talk about, even though it can be kind of scary or hard to listen to at times,” Schwab said. “Just letting the person know that you’re comfortable to talk about whatever they need to talk about, and then being willing to ask direct questions.”

He said it’s important to ask direct questions like, “Are you thinking of suicide? Do you have a plan on how you would kill yourself? Do you have the means to kill yourself? Do you know when you are planning on doing it?”

He added that if they have the means, to try to convince them to let you hang on to their means, “and then going back to the same three options, trying to get them connected to help so they can work on the further issues.”

For people who just want to help, the Crisis Clinic of the Peninsulas is run by volunteers. To volunteer, call the clinic at 360-479-3033 or visit the website, crisisclinicothepeninsulas.org. The process includes an interview, background check and training, which includes about 33 classroom hours and 10 observation and practical training hours. After the training is complete, volunteers are asked for a one-year commitment of one four-hour shift per week, and either an overnight or weekend shift a month.

Schwab said, “It really comes down to the three basics of … being willing to ask directly, are you thinking of suicide, do you have a plan; listening to the person; and then making sure that some action is taken to help the situation, so the person is connected to help.”

For more information, visit cri sisclinicofthepeninsulas.org. If you need help or just someone to talk to, call the clinic at 360-479-3033, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or the Teen Link Crisis Center at 206-461-4922.