Dear Editor,
Published in 1942, Albert Camus’ essay The Myth of Sisyphus begins with the statement, “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide.”
Today, more Americans die from suicide than ever before. Figures compiled by the Center for Disease Control indicate that in 2021, nearly 50,000 citizens died by suicide. Every day, an average of 132 Americans take their own lives.
What most of us don’t realize is that suicidal ideation is common in the general population. Such contemplation has occurred in about one in five high school students.
When people die by suicide, others often make a character judgment that something was wrong with that person, that somehow their life was a failure. Suicide is a public health crisis requiring a dismantling of the associated shame. However, for almost all of us, talking about suicide is off-limits.
Research shows that half of those having thoughts of ending their lives do not talk about what they are experiencing – anxiety and depression, isolation and loneliness – until they have made a suicide attempt. Those deeply depressed and considering suicide have difficulty recognizing that life can get better.
The fact that each suicidal death has a profound impact on those left behind is often not a sufficient deterrent.
Prevention starts by getting rid of the stigma attached to the negative thoughts. For the person ruminating about the possibility of ending one’s own life, stigma clouds the picture. Yet, talking to one accepting adult can lower the risk of suicide by 40%. Once one shares what was thought to be unique and private despair, he or she can then recognize that they are not alone in those struggles and that others do relate to them.
We can help by listening to someone’s reasons for being in emotional distress and gently helping them focus on their reasons for living. If they have a specific plan and access to lethal means to accomplish it, aim to diminish those means. Try to connect them with ongoing support, such as calling the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. After providing that connection, follow up with a phone call or text.
A compassionate listener has the tools to change another’s belief structure. One can communicate that while suicide seems to offer an end to life getting worse, it only eliminates the possibility of it ever getting better. In hearing such an honest and empathetic message, people can begin to learn how to save their own lives.
Peter Wibell, Rutledge