"Tears, salty and bitter
Alone in bed that night,
And breathing does not feel right
Self-worth drowned in liquor."
-Damian LaFauci, Rider University Class of 2018,
Where Do We Go From Here?
In today's society, we talk a lot about depression and mental illness, but we talk about them in a very roundabout way. The pictures are all over Tumblr or Twitter: probably black and white, probably of a teenager, they're slumped over in bed or maybe standing in some nondescript location. Their face is hidden. They're probably smoking. So artsy, so emo, so romantic.
But that's not what mental health looks like. It's messy, dirty, dark, twisted, consuming.
People with depression don't crawl away like vampires to warehouses and playgrounds late at night to chain-smoke cigarettes and cry. They sit behind you in class. You see them at family parties. They strut around on stage, performing in front of thousands of people. They eat dinner with you. They slap a smile on their faces and get going.
We don't discuss the nitty-gritty, down and dirty aspects of depression and suicide– but we should, no matter how much it scares us. These subjects are very close to me, so I'll give you the facts straight up.
Far too many people across the nation and around the world are dealing with something we can do better at preventing.
I want to talk about, more specifically, the correlation between alcoholism, depression, and suicidal tendencies. Separated, these three topics could make for three substantial standalone articles, but this article will discuss how they are correlated. Statistical and research-based evidence provide us with a clear look at how significant alcoholism, depression, and suicide are in our world.
Let's get down to business.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, approximately 1 in 5 adults per year in the U.S. experience mental illness. Within that number, 4% will experience a serious mental illness that greatly interferes with daily life.
According to NHS UK, roughly 90% of those who attempt or die by suicide have been diagnosed with one or more mental illnesses; however, this number does not reflect people who have not been formally diagnosed.
If a portion of the people who commit suicide haven't even had the chance to see a professional, what are we doing wrong?
The reasons could be endless.
Those people may not have the proper healthcare to get help, which could be another article in itself. They may not have a positive support system around them to encourage their recovery.
The environment around them may avoid or look down upon talks about mental illness. We need to make it known that there are resources out there for people struggling with mental illness.
According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), "despite effective treatment, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help." This and the following statistics are the reason I am begging you to TALK MORE:
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 15–24 years old in the U.S.
Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 in the U.S.
What. The. F**k?!
As many people still don't understand mental health in general, the words they say can make a world of difference for those living with mental illness. If someone confides in a friend or loved one, the response they get greatly impacts how they continue through life with their disorder.
We should be supportive and encouraging, giving them guidance on how to receive help, but oftentimes the response is negative and condescending.
It's not the end of the world.
Be a man!
You're just being lazy.
You have such a good life, you can't really be that sad.
How screwed up do those sound?! These types of responses come from people who are truly ignorant and uneducated on mental illness. They just don't get it. They don't understand that it's not about how great one's life is or how "manly" someone is.
These attitudes and the blatant ignorance of many across the globe is part of the reason the numbers on suicide are so substantial. We need to fix this. We need to provide more education on mental health. We need to provide more resources for people living with mental illness.
When someone with a mental illness does not have a strong support system, they often seek out something to numb their pain. A little over 20 million adults in the U.S. experience a substance use disorder and about half of those 20 million people had a co-morbid mental illness, according to NAMI.
Alcohol abuse is a huge problem with people who are mentally ill; around 1 in 11 men and 1 in 25 women are physically dependent on alcohol.
Alcohol is a coping mechanism regularly used to (temporarily) squash the feelings of anger, frustration, anxiety, or depression because it triggers endorphins, according to the University of California.
Endorphins are a chemical in the brain which causes a rush of happiness. This feeling of happiness is only temporary. The American Addiction Centers says that alcohol use can lead to depression and depression can lead to alcohol abuse. Because of the way alcohol affects the brain, someone with depression can get caught in a cycle of drinking to get rid of their depressive thoughts and feelings then feeling depressed because of the alcohol use.
When individuals are dependent on alcohol they may experience some of these problems:
-Instead of choosing to drink, they feel as though they need to drink in order to cope with their emotions.
-They regularly have to hide the amount they drink from friends and family.
-They cannot go without alcohol; they feel shaky and anxious when they haven't had a drink.
-They must drink to feel good about themselves, but inevitably they are disgusted by their own drinking, which then makes them angry or suicidal.
Individuals suffering from substance abuse and mental illness need support and guidance. They need people around them who will offer encouraging words and a helping hand. They need resources like therapy and counseling.
They may need to be put on anti-depressants or other medications. That's the nature of mental illness. Talking with a friend is not the end-all, be-all cure for depression, but that can be the first step to recovery.
If these statistics and facts make you uncomfortable, then I am doing my job. I sound like a broken record, but we need to talk about mental health more.
And we need to do it as informed and educated as possible. With this article, I am trying to open your eyes to the worst parts of mental illness, but also open your eyes to see how much we can do to change the stigmas. My life had been directly impacted by alcoholism, and these conversations need to happen.
I don't want to see any more people suffering, closed off from the world, resorting to substances as an escape from their pain. With 20 million Americans suffering from substance abuse yearly, we need to educate ourselves. The best way we can do that is to talk. We cannot be afraid to talk things through with our loved ones, even the younger kids.
With suicide being the second-highest cause of death among 10-14 year-olds, clearly, the conversation can start early.
When I have a family of my own, I will strive to teach my children to be open about their emotions. I will overtly teach them, starting at a young age, that they can come to me with anything, and I will always be there. For the sake of my children, and future generations, I want everyone to be more open.
We need to have conversations about this kind of thing– all aspects of it. We cannot be afraid to discuss the worst pieces of mental illness. We cannot sugarcoat this topic. It takes away from the realness and seriousness of mental illness. It's scary, yes, but in the long run, we give people the chance to talk to someone, anyone, who is willing to listen and to help.
And we can give them a second chance at life.
If you need to talk to someone, you can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. Suicide helplines outside the US can be found by following this link.
If you would like to donate to mental health charities or want to learn more about the mental health issues in our world today, I have provided links to and brief information on a range of mental health charities.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention works to find ways to prevent suicide, change the conversation surrounding suicide, and help those affecting by suicide.
"The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is committed to alleviating the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research," according to their website.
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance's main goal is understanding mood disorders, like depression and bipolar disorder, while providing help to those living with these disorders.
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence believes that those struggling with alcohol and drug dependency deserve a chance at a productive, healthy life, and so they want to help provide support services for them across the nation.
The Soldiers Project works to provide free mental health services for United States veterans and their families.
The Trevor Project is a charity which focuses on helping LGBTQ+ youth. They work to provide 24/7 helplines and text lines for the country's at-risk LGBTQ+ community.
