Among the many consequences of mental illnesses, suicide is the most tragic when it comes to dealing with depression or bipolar disorder. According to the WHO, about 3,000 people on average commit suicide daily, and about 800,000 people commit suicide every year. It is also known that suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth ages, and 90% of people who committed suicide had some form of mental illness. But if you think about it statistically, the odds of this are astronomical. It is very easy to become vulnerable to the power of emotion, yet we don’t know just how drastic the consequences can be.
September marks National Suicide Prevention Month. Many organizations like the American Psychological Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the National Council come together this month for a cause that’s meant to build a community of compassionate, young people who take action every day. World Suicide Prevention Day, which was on September 10, gave these people the opportunity to spread awareness of suicide, educate others on how to prevent it, and also help reduce the stigma surrounding suicide. According to the mantra, every day matters, and thousands of people who have attempted suicide or have loved ones who committed suicide come together to share their stories and what they learned from it. Most importantly, their stories give us some insight into the general nature of mental illness and how you could even save a life.
This impact is so widespread that mental illness, particularly depression, is actually the number one cause of disability worldwide. Can you believe that? According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately one in four Americans suffer from a mental illness every year. This is why National Suicide Awareness Month helps us to recognize when these instances become more apparent. Detecting signs of suicide is a very complex manner, even to clinicians who are trained to monitor and analyze such behavior. In several studies of the suicide risk matrix, clinicians have tried to identify disparities between test signs and overt behavior, indicating that only a small percentage of attempted suicides can be predicted. In other words, there is a very low probability of really obtaining a true positive. This only shows that the decision to take one’s own life is highly erratic, not always subject to appearances. However, this does not mean that detecting the risk for suicide is impossible.
In fact, a majority of the population with mental illness in the U.S. alone don’t receive mental health services, which, to me is shameful. It's easy to turn the other cheek when it comes to mental illness, as we’re so prone to fighting for causes to cure physical illnesses. This is "normal," and only because society treats it that way. The taboo placed on mental health concerns just becomes counterproductive and leaves people in the dark about their issues. Most people who struggle with this may feel too ashamed to come out, or don’t like to burden others with their problems. They worry it will change people’s image of them, not to mention help can be quite expensive.
Unless people are willing to take the initiative, to be candid about such manners and accept their issues for what they are, unless others are willing to care and to be open to people with these issues, nothing is going to stop the issue. Here’s my spiel: it shouldn’t take just an organization to convince you to get help. Instead, maybe it takes solidarity or global empathy towards an issue as dire as this. If you’re willing to donate hundreds of dollars to an organization that fights for Autism, women’s breast cancer, or Alzheimer’s, then it's not so bad to take some time to help a peer if he needs it. Taking one’s own life is just as serious as any of these.
If you find it difficult or frustrating to find the right resources, there is a comprehensive list of places to contact to get some help. The Counseling Center is always open to those who are looking to just talk to someone. They also have crisis hours if it’s really urgent. All of their information can be found at https://www.binghamton.edu/counseling/.
If you are having any thoughts or inclination about suicide, I urge you to also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
For those suffering, please take care of yourselves. There’s always someone out there who's willing to extend a hand--if you just know where to look.
