Battling The Quiet Disease

Suicide is reported to be the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2019, 47,511 Americans died by suicide, with an estimated 1.38 million attempts.

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention(AFSP), the rate of suicide is highest for middle-aged white men. In 2019, men died by suicide more than three times that of women. In the same year, white males accounted for 69.38 percent of suicide deaths.

The AFSP reports on the average there are 130 suicides per day.

In August of 2020, the Harris Poll conducted a poll on “Public Perception of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Survey Results.” The survey found that 78 percent of those surveyed think mental and physical health are equally important. Of those who don't see an equality of importance, mental health is However, 51 percent believe physical health as more important than mental health in society's current health care system.

According to the survey, 60 percent of adults thought they had a mental health condition; anxiety and depression were the leading issues. About 55 percent of adults know someone who has suicidal thoughts or behaviors. As in 2018, about 1 in 4 U.S. Adults has personally thought about or attempted suicide.

The good news is there are efforts to address the known causes of suicide. Awareness and support of people are key to reduce the number of suicide attempts. One of the programs underway is development of the 988 phone system. Similar to 911, 988 is an emergency line for suicide prevention.

The AFSP website says in 2019, the suicide rates were higher among adults ages 45 to 54 years of age, and 55 to 64, with the highest among adults 85 and older. Liz Borgmann, local coordinator for the Walk Out of Darkness event, said one of the targets in suicide research is why middle-aged caucasian men are at risk. The research also includes how to reach the “strong man” personality; those men who are determined to go the journey alone.

According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, most people who consider suicide give warnings of their intentions. However, those around them are either unaware of the significance of these warnings or don't know how to respond. Borgmann says when a person close to you changes his or her mannerisms, or begins to talk about suicide.

“Those can all be signs ,” she said.

Borgmann also talked about Project 2025, a goal of ASFP to reduce suicide by 20 percent by the year 2025. The ASFP is examining who is being lost to suicide, how society is losing them, where, and what can be done to save lives.

She said she would like to see more continuous training on mental health issues. She added that law enforcement are not mental health practitioners.

“It's everybody's job to recognize it,” she said.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and Sept. 18-19 is the Walk Out of Darkness events. Saturday morning, Sept. 18, is a softball tournament at Legion Park in support of Walk Out of Darkness, and the Walk itself is Sunday afternoon, Sept. 19, at the Legion Park softball fields. Registration starts at 3:30 p.m. and the Walk at 4 p.m. from Field 3. This year there will be yard games and informational tables, including mental health services representatives.

The Walk Out of Darkness set a goal of raising $8,000 this year. That goal was passed when a recent poker run netted more than $10,000. A motorcycle raffle later brought in $3,600 for the cause.