September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time dedicated to reaching out to those impacted by suicide, raising awareness, educating those with suicidal ideation on available resources to help them, and shedding light on this heavily stigmatized "taboo" topic.

In this past year alone, I have had several instances in which people I have personally known have had to deal with suicidal ideation, self harm, and even hospitalizations. According to Health.com, "depression is more common than AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined, and nearly 400,000 people attempt suicide in the U.S. every year." It is a very serious issue that deserves much more attention.

In an effort to educate the public during this month, I created a list of myths and facts about suicide... See if you know which are true and which are not!

1. Depression is always the cause of suicide.

FALSE. "Two of every three people who commit suicide are depressed at the time they take their life. However, alcoholism plays a role in 1 in 3 completed suicides" (Health.com). There are numerous conditions that are associated with high suicide rates or suicidal behaviors, such as borderline personality disorder (BPD), bipolar disorder (BD), and even Huntington's Disease. Some more recent research is highlighting the impact of disorders that are not often taken as seriously and addressing how they contribute to suicide risk, such as Raja & Azzoni (2007), who concluded that the presence of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) with mood disorders can increase the severity of suicide attempts.

2. Most suicide attempts are "incomplete".

TRUE. 1 in every 10 to 25 attempts actually results in death, according to Dr. Valenstein (Health.com).

3. Men are at greater risk for suicide.

TRUE. While three times more women than men attempt suicide, four times more men than women actually kill themselves (Health.com). Men tend to use more violent or lethal means than women.

4. Suicides peak during the winter holidays.

FALSE. Most people have heard that suicides are most common during the winter holiday season. However, the highest rate of suicide happens during the spring.

5. Teens are at greatest risk.

FALSE. The elderly are more likely to die by suicide than any other age group. The fact that teenage suicides more often make headlines does not mean that they occur more frequently. The highest risk group is white men over 85 (rate of 49.8 deaths per 100,000) compared to 11 per 100,000 in the general population. Teenagers are still considered a "high-risk" group, with one in five high schoolers stating that he or she has considered suicide in the past year (Health.com).

It's time to talk about suicide.

This is not a topic that should be overlooked or ignored, even if it makes people "uncomfortable." Suicidal behavior and suicide are common, which means that accurate and helpful public information on the topic is crucial. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year-olds.

More children and young adults die from suicide every year than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke and chronic lung disease combined (Amazing Day Foundation). Start the conversation. Use the #suicideprevention hashtag on social media to share facts and research this month. Do your part this month in participating in suicide prevention efforts.

Helpful Sites:

NAMI: Suicide Awareness Month
Suicide Prevention Lifeline
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Popular Twitter Hashtags for Advocacy:

#StopSuicide
#SuicidePrevention
#SuicideAwareness
#SuicidePreventionMonth

Sources:

Health.com: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20507781,0...

Amazing Day Foundation: http://amazingdayfoundation.org/resources/suicide-...