This year Suicide Prevention Day was September 10th, 2024. I won’t attempt to acknowledge it as a celebratory or “fun” day of recognition, compared to say, National Ice Cream Day (which most people can understand and readily appreciate). Some likely made a trip this year to pick some up! While not ice cream, death by suicide occurs enough that it was deemed appropriate to dedicate a day to bring awareness to it. It’s certainly more important than ice cream. However, considering the significance and impact, how is this somber and unfortunately very relevant day acknowledged, if at all? It’s a day that I believe for most comes and goes, with maybe an occasional social media post to bring attention to it.
Yet, suicide rates increased by approximately 36% between 2000–2022. Suicide was responsible for 49,476 deaths in 2022, which is about one death every 11 minutes. It’s reported that the number of people who think about or attempt suicide is even higher. In 2022, an estimated 13.2 million adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.8 million planned a suicide attempt, and 1.6 million attempted suicide. Of course, these numbers are only based on those who were surveyed or instances that were reported.
Research finds that more than 90% of suicide fatalities were related to depression or another diagnosable mental illness or substance abuse disorder. According to Major David Reynolds, chief of Clinical Health Psychology at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, "The vast majority of people don't commit suicide because they want to kill themselves, but as a way to end the torment of not being able to cope with their problem." This would deduce that too often people experience a feeling of hopelessness that leads to those moments of desperation, simply wanting the pain to end.
For some it’s the pain caused by suffering from a job loss, the end of a relationship or business, grief, terminal illness, loneliness, and/or unhealed trauma, and many other reasons that lead people down a dark path toward suicidal ideation. However, it’s not always circumstantial. It can also be directly tied to biology. Research also shows us that suicide rates increase during menstruation. Candidly, I’ve had some pretty dark thoughts when menstruating, and apparently, I’m not alone. According to the Cleveland Clinic, up to 10% of women suffer from Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Also known as PMDD. With PMDD, some women have PMS symptoms along with extreme irritability, anxiety, or depression. And we all know severe anxiety and depression are not limited to women.
Since I mentioned it, you may wonder how I acknowledged Suicide Prevention Day 2024. Honestly, I didn’t. And honestly, I should have. I know people who have died by suicide, and I have several people whom I love dearly who were among the 13 million who had serious thoughts of suicide. Considering the stigma that is connected to mental health and the talk of suicide still being taboo, we can assume the numbers are higher than 13 million.
Suicide is prevalent, there’s no getting around it. Yet no one wants to talk about it. Well, you can’t heal what you don’t reveal! I do understand it’s not only difficult to talk about, but it’s also difficult to know where to begin to even try to help. This is why sometimes when a task seems too grand, people become discouraged and experience paralysis, unable to take action. So let’s start by having more open conversations on all things mental health. And validating or at least acknowledging people's pain. It will not and cannot change if it’s not discussed.
We can also start by purposefully removing the stigma that is connected to mental health and not allowing it to be such a taboo topic, one person and interaction at a time. We can acknowledge that these alarming numbers don’t get smaller by turning a blind eye to mental health and that suicide is occurring far too often to ignore.
And let’s use our resources. We can do more integration of various types of therapy. We have options, including cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, EMDR, integrative/holistic, and music therapy. Noting accessibility remains an obstacle for many. Therapy still isn’t widely accepted in many communities and for some, the cost and not having health insurance remains a barrier. It’s high time that we as a society, acknowledge that it is our responsibility to remain open to having uncomfortable conversations and being truly supportive of our community. As individuals, we have a responsibility to take care of our mental health. It should be evidenced by the choices we make. It might look like prioritizing your sleep hygiene, prayer, meditation, working out, spending time with your community, and/or journaling.
Suicide Prevention Day isn’t the type of day that anyone will bring out a cake or toast to. But we still have options at our disposal to acknowledge it. We can reach out to our loved ones, check on our “strong” friends, be a listening and compassionate ear every day of the year (within our individual limits, of course), and smile at strangers. Considering we have no idea what someone may be going through, the least we can do is smile at strangers. We can be honest with our loved ones about how we’re doing and seek help if we need to. Remembering that no matter how dark it seems, feels, or even IS, it is all temporary. And your life is worth fighting for! If you or someone you know needs support for suicidal thoughts please call 988 - Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
The choices we make today must be indicative of the life we want tomorrow. ~ Zenisha
Here are a few resources to share with whoever may need them. Take care of yourselves - as your life depends on it 🦋
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