At each outpouring on both the news and social media of stories from friends and family of those who have committed suicide or were on the brink of suicide, including those who attempted suicide without completion, mental health professionals, families, friends, fans of well-known celebrities, mourn what we feel include preventable losses.
Though these articles and stories come from authors with a wide array of backgrounds and exposure to the subject of suicide, each attempts to answer or provide some insight as to why this is happening.
Why do persons who to the outside world seem to have everything or seem to be at the top of their fields, many adored by millions of fans or operating in the top .1% of earners in this country, with close, loving relationships with their children, take their own lives?
We still struggle to answer these questions.
Suicide is complex in that there is never one answer as to why someone feels so desperate and isolated that they will choose to take their own life. This continues to be one of the most taboo truths of present day America.
Suicide is a topic that everyone has heard of and very few people want to discuss. However, each time we are met with freshly tragic news raising visibility on new losses, the willingness and interest of those of us, who are reeling, to better understand our current status and statistics of suicide in the United States, grows.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, taking the lives of roughly 45,000 Americans every year or 123 Americans every day. In a different view, for every completed suicide, there are 25 attempted suicides. That brings us to just over one million successful or attempted acts of self-injurious behavior drastic enough to end a person’s life – every year in the United States.
For comparison purposes, the 2017 population of the United States was just over 300 million people and 48% of the adult population will have known at least one person who died of suicide in their lifetime.
Additionally, suicide is one of three leading causes of death that is on the rise. According to the CDC, since 1999 the suicide rate has increased in 49 states and the national suicide rate has increased by 25%. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention states that, across all groups, adults 45-54 are at the greatest risk for suicide, and across ethnic groups, whites (white males) have the highest rate of suicide.
However, suicide is a tragedy that plagues every racial, social, ethnic, economic, gender and age group.
Based on the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 8.6% of minors in grades 9-12 reported that they attempted suicide at least once in the last year. In the same high school aged cohort, females attempt suicide twice as often as boys (11.6% vs. 5.5%) and Hispanic high school aged individuals, both male and female attempt suicide more often than white students, with the highest rate of attempted suicide being in the Hispanic female group.
Suicide is deeply uncomfortable. It reminds each of us of our own fragility, forcing us to confront a realm of human action and emotion that as a society we tend to shy away from. It is easier for most people to digest the statistics of tragedies rather than confront the casualties and pain that are inherent in cases such as suicide. At the point where the news of celebrity suicide comes into mainstream view, the resulting discussion is most important.
There is a phenomenon known as the suicide contagion, referring to the fact that after high profile suicides, the rate of suicide attempts around the country tends to increase substantially. For instance, in the months following the death of Robin Williams, the suicide rate increased by 10%. In the months following the death of Marilyn Monroe, the suicide rate jumped 12%. There remains reason for concern that this will happen again.
In the days after Kate Spade’s death, calls to the suicide prevention hotline spiked 25%. The hotline (1-800-273-8255) is a free prevention network connected to over 160 local crisis centers across the country, staffed by trained professionals available 24 hours a day for those in need.
We must contribute to honest conversations about suicide and mental health and and encourage others to dialogue with us. While talking about self-harm and suicide isn’t easy, continuing the conversation could save lives. Without being aware of how close to another human being’s sorrow we tread, we may yet find that the power of disclosure and support can be a balm or a moment of respite for someone struggling. We do not negate or diminish each friend or family member’s experience of grief or pain, and we do acknowledge and recognize the well of hurt that makes the ending of a life feel like the only movement forward.
We cannot ignore the existence of depression and suicide across America.
