Suicide Prevention

Welcome back to my blog! For my 15th blog, I have decided to write about suicide prevention, an extremely serious topic. In addition, World Suicide Prevention Day is coming up this Friday, on September 10th. Therefore, I found it to be a good time to write about suicide prevention.

Suicide and suicidal thoughts are more common than one may think. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an August 2020 report found that an alarming 10.7% of Americans had considered suicide before the survey or report. In other words, about 1 in 10 Americans had considered suicide at one point in 2020. The survey also found that about a quarter of Americans had symptoms of anxiety or depression, which is generally a precursor to suicidal thoughts and suicide. While these numbers definitely increased due to the presence of the COVID pandemic when compared to the surveys from 2018 and 2019, they definitely indicate that suicidal ideation and suicide are prevalent, urgent issues.

The survey also found that young adults in particular had higher thoughts of suicide; about 25.5% of 18 to 24 year olds had considered suicide within a month of the survey. Indeed, suicidal thoughts tend to increase during college and after college.

In addition, the suicide rate has increased roughly 35 percent from 1999 to 2018. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death annually on average. But with the COVID pandemic at the forefront of the health crisis, we also must acknowledge and prepare for the suicide crisis that has been existing for many years before hand.

I’ll admit, I’ve battled with suicidal thoughts when I was in college too. They happen more than you think, and what I can tell you is that when you have suicidal thoughts, you are likely depressed or suffering from serious anxiety and/or depression. I am no doctor, but when I was hospitalized for depression at college, my doctor told me that I was suffering from a serious depression for many months because I was experiencing suicidal ideation. Therefore, if you are suffering from suicidal ideation or experiencing thoughts of suicide, you must seek help IMMEDIATELY.

Either you should let someone else or a close friend or relative know you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, or call the suicide prevention hotline. The suicide prevention hotline is: (1-800-273-8255)

In addition to calling the suicide prevention hotline if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or ideation, I recommend that you contact a therapist, who can help you treat your suicidal thoughts. Also, a therapist can refer you to a psychiatrist, who can prescribe you medication to treat your potential anxiety or depression which can cause suicidal thoughts. Medication is very effective at treating and getting rid of suicidal thoughts, but make sure you have a doctor (psychiatrist) prescribe you the medication first.

On the whole, do not be ashamed if you have suicidal thoughts. They are common but can be treated effectively. Please do not hesitate to reach out to others for help, including myself or the suicide prevention hotline as shown above.

Thank you so much for reading my blog and visiting my site. Definitely reach out to me via email if you have any questions, and please subscribe to my blog via email at the bottom of the home page if you are interested in reading more of my blogs!