On Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 10:10 AM, NYPD police responded after handbag designer Kate Spade was found dead at her Manhattan apartment by an apparent suicide. Spade and her husband started the handbag line Kate Spade New York in 1993, after a conversation over dinner at a Mexican restaurant, which eventually developed into a major lifestyle brand with more than 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the United States and more than 175 stores internationally.
Friday, June 8, 2018 saw the sudden and unexpected death by suicide of former Travel Channel "No Reservations" host and current CNN "Parts Unknown" host Anthony Bourdain flood the headlines. Having worked his way to the top of the New York City restaurant scene after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Anthony Bourdain originally gained notoriety from his 2001 memoir, "Kitchen Confidential," where he gave a no holds barred account of the grittiness of life in restaurant kitchens. Both individuals left behind children and had former spouses.
These recent events go to show that no measure of fame and fortune can render anyone immune to the effects of mental illness and suicidal ideation. According to an article on suicide rates for males and females between 1999 and 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States was 24% higher in 2014 than in 1999, with increases for males and females in all age groups under 75. Four years later and the trend is still evident, as can be seen on a grand scale in the most recent cases mentioned above. No one is immune to mistakes, failures, and tragedy.
Everyone has insecurities, fears, and negative emotions that they cope with every day. Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain experienced some of the same issues that everyday Americans are going through. Same problems, different tax bracket. The last couple of years has set the stage for mental health to become a more talked about aspect of human life and has proved to be something that should be prioritized to the same extent as physical health. However, access to mental health services and de-stigmatization must occur for everyone to reap the benefits equally.
I personally realized the importance of mental health during my freshman year of college with all the adjustments that I had to make into life as a college student and adult living on my own for the first time in my life. While thankfully I did not have to deal with the invasiveness and torment of suicidal thoughts, I never again underestimated the power of the mind to overcome obstacles and adjust to new settings and situations again.
According to Valley Behavioral Health System, signs and symptoms of suicidal ideation include: talking about death and killing yourself, getting affairs in order, telling loved ones goodbye, decreased social contact, increased risky behavior, scars from past suicide attempts, believe that death by suicide is the only answer for ending emotional pain, feelings of helplessness, self-loathing, paranoia, feeling hopeless about a situation, sudden changes in personality, and severe anxiety. If there is anyone out there who is experiencing these symptoms and questioning whether your existence on this earth is meaningful, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is: 1-800-273-8255. Remember your life matters.
