Suicide Awareness
15-year-old Jordan Lewis watched a video about bullying at his Illinois high school. That evening, police made a "wellness visit" to his home after the grandmother of a friend reported that he had texted her granddaughter about harming himself. On that following Thursday, Jordan fatally shot himself in the chest. His father says Jordan left behind a suicide note listing the reason why he took his life: "because he was being bullied," according to an article provided by newser.com,
According to the Center for disease control, Suicide takes the lives of 38,000 people in a year—making one death by suicide in the U.S. every 12.3 minutes.
The American Foundation for suicide prevention says, Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., but ranks third in the state of Mississippi for ages 15-24. On average, one person from Mississippi dies by suicide approximately every 22 hours. See table provided by afsp.org.
In most cases, suicidal behavior derives from the adverse life experiences within an individual's life. However, Suicide is not specific to name, gender, or age.
In a recent data evaluation from the Mississippi Department of Health Shatter the Silence Initiative,Within the past year, 19 percent of middle school and high students seriously considered suicide, while almost 12 percent attempted suicide.
According to American Foundation for suicide prevention, in Mississippi, suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 15-24, while it marks the 17th leading cause of death for people ages 65 and older - leaving the state ranking number 30 for the highest suicide death rates of 2015.
Although age groups break down many statistics, many also show how suicide affects specific communities and organizations. Graphic provided by: guardianlv.com
In one study provided by the
American Association of Suicidology, adults and young adults 30.1 percent of transgender individuals admitted to having attempted suicide and gay teens are 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide and 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression compared with peers from families that reported no or low levels of family rejection.
Suicide survivor who wishes to remain anonymous says, at age 22 after coming out to peers and later being rejected he immensely thought to choose suicide as his way out. He went as far as attempting to drown himself. He says that the loneliness and constant battle with trying to be just himself led him to a dark place in his life that he thought was just too impossible to escape.
The Department of Defense released a report unveiling the number of active duty troops who have taken their life with their own lives.
In addition, militiarytimes.com reported, the Army, alone among the services, saw an increase in soldiers taking their own lives, accounting for more than half the total number of service members who died from January to March. Over that short time span, 57 active-duty troops — 30 soldiers, 14 airmen, 10 sailors and three Marines — died by suicide.
Everyday, a family member, co-worker, classmate, and even sometimes a friend suffers in silence. Often time warning signs simply go unnoticed.
According to webmd.com, one should be especially concerned if a person is exhibiting any of these warning signs and/or has attempted suicide in the past. Here is a list of common suicide warnings when confirming a potential suicide attempt:
Always talking or thinking about death
Clinical depression -- deep sadness, loss of interest, trouble sleeping and eating -- that gets worse
Having a "death wish," tempting fate by taking risks that could lead to death, such as driving fast or running red lights
Losing interest in things one used to care about
Making comments about being hopeless, helpless, or worthless
Putting affairs in order, tying up loose ends, changing a will
Saying things like "it would be better if I wasn't here" or "I want out"
Sudden, unexpected switch from being very sad to being very calm or appearing to be happy
Talking about suicide or killing one's self
Visiting or calling people to say goodbye
Dr. Catledge of Moffit Health Clinic says, “When beginning a diagnosis on a suicide patient, they must first undergo numerous assessments, which may include but not limited to medications being taken at the time, finding out whether or not the patient has indulged into alcohol and drug misuse and the thorough inspection of the patient’s mental health conditions.” (See graphic below provided by aafp.org)
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, between 20% and 50% of people who commit suicide have attempted so previously. The alarming numbers of suicide deaths and attempts emphasize the need for carefully designed prevention efforts. So what preventions efforts are local?
The most common prevention effort is the utilization of the suicide prevention lifeline. After calling to the Hattiesburg’s Shafer crisis line, (601) 264-7777, the phone representative says, “the caller on duty listens carefully to the person calling in and the tries to help the person come to a comforting state of mind, but if the person situation is life threatening they immediately contact the proper authority and make way to the hospital where the person has been transported for support.”
If calling in to a crisis line is not the option of choice, Hattiesburg alone provides many resources: The Dream of Hattiesburg, The Schafer Crisis Center, Pine Grove Behavioral center and community health centers that continues to help cope with any issues involving suicide.
Suicide survivor Lauren Taylor says that if it wasn't for the constant support or the around the clock drop-ins by family members and friends she would've indeed made the final step into committing suicide. She also goes on to say after constant breakdowns she knew it was time to seek medical attention, which later got her involved with a support group including members who once experienced the same thoughts and attempts.
Remember, if you or someone you know needs help or simply wants to talk, contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Video by Hub City TV reporter Quinci Hayward.
