Dana here. As you may know, we have had a few segments of Coffee and Conversations with our friends from Mental Health America. Some of the topics that they have discussed pertained to stress, anxiety, and depression. As a strong advocate for mental health and suicide prevention, I believe in the importance of knowing some of the major facts regarding suicide, and how suicide can be prevented by being able to identify the warning signs.
Before I continue, I would like to share a little bit of my story with you. Four years ago, I lost my older brother, Joshua, to suicide. My brother was only 18 years old when he took his life. He was loved by many in our community for the impact he made, and today he is someone I aspire to be like. If there was one thing my brother was really good at, it was at masking his emotions. On the outside, he expressed his outgoing and bubbly personality to his friends and family. But on the inside, he was struggling with depression. At the time, my family and I couldn't tell that my brother had suicidal thoughts because we weren't aware of the red flags he was demonstrating. But today, I want to share the hard truths about suicide and the kind of warning signs we need to be aware of in order to prevent our friends and loved ones from taking their own lives. No suicide attempt should be dismissed or treated lightly because it is a serious issue.
Ten Truths About Suicide We Need to Know
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. It is the second leading cause of death among people ages 15-24.
44,193 Americans die by suicide each year. The annual age-adjusted suicide rate is 13.26 per 100,000 individuals.
There is one death by suicide for every 25 attempts.
40% of persons who complete suicide have made a previous attempt. However, nine out of ten people who attempt suicide and survive, do not go on and complete suicide at a later date.
Eight out of ten people considering suicide give off some sign of their intentions. People who often talk about suicide, threaten with suicide, or call suicide crisis centers, are 30 times more likely to kill themselves.
More years of life are lost to suicide than to any other single cause except heart disease and cancer.
Previous suicide attempts serve as a risk factor for completed suicide. Suicide risk is 37% higher in the first year after deliberate self-harm than in the general population. Older white adults have triple the suicide than younger, non-white adults.
Suicide rates are the highest among adults between 45 and 64 at 19.6%. The second highest rate is 19.4% among those 85 years or older. Compared with middle-aged older adults, younger populations have consistently lower suicide rates.
While males are four times more likely to die by suicide, females are more likely to attempt suicide.
Those with substance abuse disorders are six times more likely to complete suicide than those without. The rate of completed suicide among men with alcohol or drug abuse problems is 2-3 times higher than among those without a problem. Women who abuse substances are at 6-9 times higher risk of suicide compared to women who do not have a problem.
To read more of Dana Zapanta's article, please click here.
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