Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in the world today, and there is one death in the United States from suicide every 11 minutes.
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s theme for the month is “Together, we can help #StopSuicide.”
CDC statistics show that depression affects 20-25 percent of Americans ages 18-and-over in a given year, and we lose 48,500 Americans to suicide every year.
Only half of all Americans experiencing an episode of major depression receive treatment, and studies show that 80-90 percent of people who seek treatment for depression are treated successfully using therapy and/or medication.
There are many factors that make someone more susceptible to suicide, including:
• Having a mental illness, particularly depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, or conduct disorder and especially an untreated mental illness;
• Having a substance use disorder;
• Suffering from a traumatic brain injury;
• Stressful life situations, especially those that are prolonged, including bullying or relationship problems;
• Sudden stressful or traumatic situations, like the loss of a loved one;
• Having access to lethal means.
There also are signs to look for in someone close to you, including, according to Bridges to Recovery Mental Health Clinic:
• Talking about dying or wanting to die;
• Talking about feeling empty, hopeless, or having no way out of problems;
• Mentioning strong feelings of guilt and shame;
• Talking about not having a reason to live or that others would be better off without them;
• Social withdrawal and isolation.
We have to look out for one another, and this includes young people in particular. Teen suicide is a serious issue, and we as adults need to provide comfort to our youth and show them all they have to live for.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours at 800-273-8255. If you need it, make the call. If you think someone else might, reach out your hand.
Things are never as bad as they seem, and suicide is a permanent decision that cannot be reversed. Once we lose someone, we can never get them back.