Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.
Every September since 2012, I have marked National Suicide Prevention Month in some way. A lot of this stemmed from doing multiple presentations the year prior regarding suicide and bullying. One date that is forever lodged in my brain is September 18, 2011; the day 14 year old Jamey Rodemeyer took his own life due to constant bullying at school. Whether or not I was sheltered to the teen suicide epidemic prior to this one teen's death or his death sparked the national outrage is still unknown to me. What I do know is that suicide prevention is VERY important to me and Jamey's death really pushed me over the edge in trying to combat it.
During the second half of my sophomore year of college (a handful of months after Jamey's death,) I started the campaign, End Hate: Educate! to help raise awareness of the issues of bullying and how all too often it leads to suicide. Since then, I can't tell you how many heartbreaking stories I've heard on the news, the most recent being of transgender teens Leelah Alcorn, Sam Taub, and Blake Brockington, Brockington of whom just a year prior to his death was crowned prom king, the first transgender prom king in North Carolina.
These stories are painful and they need to stop. I created End Hate to help save children and teens, but just a few months later, something happened that made me realize that it's not just about children and teens; adults commit suicide too but it's not covered in the news nearly as often. By covering the suicides of children and teens, the media is sending a message that it's not tragic when an adult takes their own life.
If you're an adult reading this post and you've ever considered suicide,
I want you to know that you matter too!
You are loved and you are important!
Please, never give up on your life.
It's the only one you get!
If the following statistics don't break your heart, there's something wrong...
Suicide in the United States
- Each year, 34,598 people die by suicide, an average of 94 completed suicides every day.
- More people die by suicide (34,598) than by homicide (18,361) in the United States.
Suicide Attempt and Ideation in the United States
- Every year, 864,950 people attempt suicide, which means 1 person attempts suicide every 38 seconds.
- More than 395,000 people are treated in emergency rooms every year for self-inflicted injuries.
- It is estimated that 3.7% of the U.S. population (8.3 million people) had thoughts of suicide in the past year, with 1.0% of the population (2.3 million people) developing a suicide plan and 0.5% (1 million people) attempting suicide.
Depression and Suicide
- Depression is a common mental health disorder, with the 18.8 million Americans suffering from depression every year. In addition to being common, depression is a risk factor for suicide.
- Two-thirds of people that die by suicide are depressed at the time of their death.
- Among those that have major depression, the risk of death by suicide is 20 times greater than those that are not depressed.
- Treatment for depression is very effective; however, less than 25 percent of people with depression receive adequate care.
- Unwillingness to seek help is another risk factor for suicide.
Every year nearly 900,000 attempt suicide. NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE! Just let that sink in for a minute. That's over 200,000 more people than the population of Boston, MA. That is utterly heartbreaking. The worst part is, this can be prevented!
The number one cause of suicide is untreated depression.
As someone who has suffered from depression for years, I know what it's like to feel absolutely worthless. Now, luckily for me, (although it's a win/lose kind of deal,) I've had a lifelong fear of death which has prevented having any suicidal thoughts. The reason I'm telling you this is because it's important to note that not everyone suffering from depression is suicidal, and vice versa. Only 2/3 of people who commit suicide are depressed at the time of their death.
It's important to break down these statistics and start having discussions on mental health because only then can the issue of suicide be stopped. As stated above, less than 25% of people with depression receive adequate care. We NEED an overhaul of our mental health practices in this country as well as implement easier access to those in need. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, there are NO reasons why seeking help from a mental health professional shouldn't be considered preventative and covered fully under all insurance plans. If pap smears, prostate exams, and breast cancers screenings are preventative in the sense that they check for cancers, going to therapy should be preventive on the basis that it can prevent suicide.
Aside from not being able to access care, there's strong stigma attached to mental health which is why so many people never seek treatment. So now the question is:
How can we challenge stigma?
- learn and share the facts about mental health and illness
- get to know people with personal experiences of mental illness
- speak up in protest when friends, family, colleagues or the media display false beliefs and negative stereotypes
- offer the same support to people when they are physically or mentally unwell
- don't label or judge people with a mental illness, treat them with respect and dignity as you would anyone else
- don’t discriminate when it comes to participation, housing and employment
- talk openly of your own experience of mental illness. The more hidden mental illness remains, the more people continue to believe that it is shameful and needs to be concealed.
I am not ashamed of my depression. I am not ashamed to say that I've been in therapy. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm taking antidepressants.
The more people that come out and talk about what dealing with a mental illness is really like, the more understanding there will be in the world. The more understanding, the less stigma, a shrinking in the number of suicides. Yes, I suffer from depression. No, that doesn't mean I can't smile, laugh, and have fun. It simply just makes it harder. For those who know me, you might think there's no way I can be depressed because of what you see online. There's a reason I tend to only post positive life statuses online. I don't want that negativity around forever. I did that enough four years ago when I first started dealing with depression, and I see it every time I look at Timehop. But what goes on behind the scenes of what is seen is really hard to deal with. I get sad for no reason, I get angry and frustrated for no reason, I lack emotion to the point where my wife is trying to be cute and cuddly, and all I'm thinking is, "not now..." I love her so much and it kills me that there are times like this that I have no control over. But I'm not just some sad sack. Depression kills because of stigma.
Suicide prevention is so important to me. I almost lost the love of my life three years ago. She wasn't lying in her wedding vows when she said I saved her life once. It was the scariest day of my life, and it haunts me to this day. We both suffer from PTSD because of it, and it's so hard to talk about which is why I never go in to details. But just because someone isn't suicidal themselves, doesn't mean they haven't been impacted by the weight of suicide through someone else's suffering.
I will never be able to forget that day. It was the worst day of my life and every time I write something about it, I just freeze up and have to take short breaks before I can finish writing. Prior to that day, I believe during our sophomore year of college, I gave her a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline card that she keeps in her wallet to this day. Anyone can make that one simple but lifesaving move to save someone who is suicidal. Share posts online highlighting the number. Make sure to remind those suffering with mental illness that they're not alone. Reach out and talk to anyone who needs it.
Being transgender and having joined several online communities, people post all the time about wanting to end their lives, but we band together and make sure there is always someone available to help those guys. Transgender individuals have the highest rate of suicide out of any other group in the world at 41%. It's not because us being trans is a mental illness, but rather because of the lack of acceptance and again that same stigma that getting help makes you weak or unworthy.
At the end of the month I will be participating in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Out of the Darkness Walk to raise money for research, education, and prevention initiatives to help shrink the heartbreaking number of people who believe there is nothing here for them. If you have the means, please consider donating to our team by clicking
here. All donations are tax deductible and will really help in aiding these prevention programs.
If you or someone you love is suffering from suicidal thoughts, consider printing out the wallet card by clicking this link. It saved my wife's life and it can save many more.
Cards can also be ordered for FREE here.
For immediate help (US,) please call
1 (800) 273-8255
The line is open 24/7 and is available in English and Spanish
