Speaking About Suicide
Suicide Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
THE FACTS
A Public Health Issue
Suicide is often an outcome of trauma going untreated due to limited resources and marginalization of mental health.
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Access to supportive communities that treat suicide as a public health issue versus victim blaming can improve the likelihood of survivorship.
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*National Institute of Mental Health
One in five adults live with a mental illness in the USA. These diseases can have devastating effects on a person’s ability to engage in relationships, navigate viable work, and keep confidence in living. But mental healthcare is seen as a luxury many cannot afford.
While mental health is not a predictor for suicide, it is often a strong risk factor. Many who live with mental health illnesses never attempt or die by suicide. Similarly, not all who die by suicide have mental illness.
Physical and mental health should be seen as two sides of one coin. Worsening mental health can manifest as physical ailments, and stress and injuries can trigger symptoms of mental illness.
One in five adults live with a mental illness in the USA. These diseases can have devastating effects on a person’s ability to engage in relationships, navigate viable work, and keep confidence in living. But mental healthcare is seen as a luxury many cannot afford.
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A Leading Cause of Death
Dying by suicide ranks in the top ten leading causes of death in the United States, with a 2017 study identifying over 47,000 individuals who lost the internal struggle.
Tragically, it is second only to accidental injuries for those younger than 35 years of age.
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Those Most At Risk
Those most at risk for suicidal thoughts and actions have been found to often display other symptoms of mental distress. This was confirmed by a Cambridge University study investigating the impact of various preexisting conditions on suicide rates.
Individuals with depression, schizophrenic behavior, or addictive tendencies were found to be at the greatest risk for suicidal patterns of behavior, second only to those who had attempted suicide previously
Where Do They Reach Out?
Young people are more frequently turning to the internet and social media for information on how to cope with their condition.
Professional help is seen as a last resort, generally due to the stigma surrounding mental illness.
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For those who did seek professional help, the majority had to wait over a week to receive any care; this overburdening of the system leads to high rates of self-diagnosis and self-medication, which can exacerbate an individual's condition.
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Why Do They Reach Out?
Mental illness can be very difficult to identify from a first-person perspective, as the changes are often slow and accumulate over time.
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Often by the time an individual begins seeking treatment, they are disturbed by their own actions, emotions, and are noticing a tangible change in their mental or physical health. Most common is a feeling of self-alienation, a typical “I just don’t feel like myself.” and not having an explicable reason as to why.