May is Mental Health Awareness month in the United States, and I believe that the criminalization of suicide is something that our communities are NOT aware of. Daily, we discuss those who die by suicide, yet we talk about them using the term "commit" for their deaths. While it is unbearably painful for those surrounding that incredible life lost, there is no crime associated with their death.

For as long as I can remember, the world has always said that so-and-so "committed" suicide. Headlines, school assemblies and Facebook announcements. No matter the circumstances of the person's passing, suicide was always spoken about as something that a person did wrong, or an act that they chose to "commit." Only recently did I realize how damaging this stance on suicide is to people who deal with suicidal ideations and thoughts.

Suicide is not a selfish choice that a person makes without careful consideration or care. It is not a simple decision that a perfectly stable person comes to overnight. It is a terrifying situation that a person feels they are in and an absolutely awful end to a pain-filled life that some people face daily. Regardless of how a person presents their life to the world, there can be a serious and deep sense of pain, self-hatred, loss, and confusion. No matter how you view suicide, it will never be a crime. As someone who has dealt with suicidal thoughts and ideations for the last few years of their life, the concept of suicide being a crime is something that I have wrestled with immensely.

When a person dies by suicide, the last thing that needs to be said is that that individual "committed" suicide. That is a time that a family and peer groups need to grieve and heal, to work through the pain that the individual was feeling, and to come together in their time of loss. The word "committed," again, gives suicide an undertone of crime.

When a person dies by suicide, a mental illness has brought them to that, whether it is depression, an anxiety disorder, schizophrenia or any of the other innumerable darknesses that cloud the mind of an individual. People who deal with suicidal ideations, thoughts or attempts have been brought through a painful journey that has had many different heartwrenching experiences and thoughts, some so self-deprecating and some completely terrifying. Mental illness takes the mind of an individual and soaks it in fear, sadness, sorrow, and distress, amongst many other things.

When a person resorts to suicide, it is not a crime. It is their choice to end their own suffering and pain—something that no one else can understand or feel. While I obviously believe that people who deal with these thoughts and this amount of pain should reach out for help and guidance and that those surrounding them should take extra care to make sure they feel loved and understood, and that would be the best case scenario. However, if a person does choose to end their life by suicide, the last thing they deserve is for the life they did live to be tarnished by the phrase "committed" suicide. They lived their life to the best of their ability, and the only crime associated to their death is that no one could help them realize their potential and that a precious life was lost to the mental health crisis in our communities.

Please, for the sake of those who suffer from these awful thoughts and feelings related to suicide, discontinue the phrase "committed suicide." Their life was taken by the instability of their mental health and the illness that affected the depths of their life, and that is the only crime, not their choice to end their life.

Until next week friends.

Here are some resources if you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health or related crises:

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention — 1-888-333-2377

The Suicide Prevention Lifeline — 1-800-273-8255

The National Domestic Violence Hotline — 1-800-799-7233

SAMHSA Treatment Locator -- 800-662-4357