Suicide, The Hidden Endemic

Did you know that an average of 80 Americans take their own lives each and every day? That is about 30,000 people per year. In addition, almost 500 people attempt suicide in the United States each day. In other words almost 180,000 people a year!

If you want to look at that in perspective, consider that since the war in Iraq began the estimated number of US soldiers killed in combat is 2,924. The same period has seen almost 120,000 suicides and approximately 720,000 suicide attempts! This is almost 1 million individuals and families who have been directly impacted by suicide. This is in no way intended to minimize the significance of the loss of brave US fighting men and women but we all know what's going on in Iraq and, agree or disagree, we all talk about it. We don't do the same when it comes to suicide and the underlying mental illnesses that cause it?

The direct costs of suicide and attempted suicide each year (costs being work loss, and medical costs) is almost 40 billion dollars. This does not include costs incurred by survivors such as funeral costs, therapy costs, work loss costs and others. And despite these staggering costs, business and individuals seem content to simply ignore the problem. Why are we, a culture that is obsessed with health so afraid of discussing and dealing with the issues of mental health?

We cannot begin to address a problem until we recognize and accept that the problem exists. Personally I would consider a mental health issue that directly impacts almost 200,000 individuals and families each and every year as being a serious problem. But what to do about it? A good first step is open and honest discussion. I find it impossible to believe that there is any person living in our day and age who, upon reaching the age of reason, has not at least thought about suicide. Fortunately, most people are mentally strong enough to overcome these momentary lapses in judgment. But what about those who are experiencing a moment or period of weakness brought about by some other mental health problem such as depression, stress, anxiety or others?

As always, the question is where to start?

Depression is one of the root causes of suicide. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 19 million people in the United States suffer from "clinical depression" each year. In addition to this most people suffer some form of mild to moderate depression on an ongoing basis. It may surprise you to learn that you too are probably experiencing some level of depression right now. To find out how moderate or severe this may be use this link to take a brief depression self assessment.

In future postings we will deal in more depth with mental and emotional illnesses and techniques for their prevention.