By The Editorial Board
There’s not a whole lot you can do in 11 minutes. You can probably make your breakfast in that time. Perhaps you can fold some laundry or drive to work before the time is up.
Meanwhile, each 11 minutes that go by, an American dies by their own hand.
According to the CDC, there were 13.2 million people who seriously considered suicide, 3.8 million who planned out their suicide and 1.6 million who actually attempted.
In America, 13.6% of adults aged 18-25 have had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. These are people we see everyday — classmates, colleagues and friends. Grim as it is, 30% of American college students are diagnosed with depression, according to a study done by The Healthy Minds Network, a research organization that aims to improve the mental health of young adults.
If you aren’t part of that statistic, that means you see, speak to and spend time with people weighed down by these intense feelings of discouragement, numbness and weariness, maybe more often than you think.
While it’s an uncomfortable topic, suicide is something that needs to be talked about and taken seriously. Just because Suicide Prevention Month is ending with September doesn’t mean we stop raising awareness. It doesn’t mean we stop checking in on our loved ones, asking how they’re really doing and encouraging them to seek professional help if needed, no matter how put-together their life seems.
Take these statistics as a reminder to deal with and speak to people with kindness and encouragement. Usually, when someone is suicidal, there are signs. Talking about wanting to die in a both joking and serious manner, sudden disconnection from friends and family, sudden or increased substance abuse, giving away significant personal belongings and talking about feeling like a burden are all behaviors which should raise alarms and can be indicators that someone is suicidal.
Also consider that sometimes the most depressed people are the ones who are the best at hiding it. If you have a bad gut feeling about someone’s well-being, don’t stay silent. You may end up regretting it.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call or text the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988). If you or someone you know is planning on suicide or actively following through with suicide, call for help (911) immediately.
