Out of the Darkness

Suicide+is+now+the+10th+leading+cause+of+deaths+within+the+United+States+and+the+suicide+death+rates+are+drastically+rising.+

Suicide is now the 10th leading cause of deaths within the United States and the suicide death rates are drastically rising.

Suicide, once a topic rarely spoken about in public, can no longer be ignored.

Suicide is currently the tenth leading cause of death among all Americans, and the second leading cause of death among those between the ages of 10 and 34. In 2017, there was an estimated amount of 1.4 million suicide attempts in the US alone.

Our society needs to wake up and face this problem. We need to see the causes of suicide and notice the changes in people when they start acting suicidal.

Many students know someone who has attempted suicide, lost someone to suicide, or have had suicidal thoughts themselves. According to recent studies, one in six students think about suicide. 

According to a 2019 Center for Disease Control (CDC) report, the number of suicides jumped 56 percent between 2007 and 2017. The most significant rise in suicide rates was also among young people between the ages of 15 and 24. 

According to the CDC, 17% of all students grades 9-12 have thought seriously about suicide. Among females, the percentage is 22.15 of students, 11.9% were male students. 19% American Indian Students. 18.4% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Students. 17% were Asian students. 17.3 white students. 16.4 were Hispanic students and 14.7 were black students. 

As the statistics show, suicide is a problem across genders and ethnic groups.

However, the most shocking percentage of all were among students who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Among these students, 47.7% reported having suicidal thoughts.  

With suicide rates increasing, many schools have begun to act. Due to one recent tragedy in our own community, many Tyrone students and staff took part in the “Blair County Out of the Darkness Suicide Walk” early in the school year.

The staff is spreading more awareness about suicide and are trying to keep a watch on students who are at risk. 

There are many ways for a student to get help if they are having suicidal thoughts. For students, there are counselors and/or support groups available in school. 

If someone is in crisis and having immediate suicidal thoughts, they should contact the suicide hotline. There are also many resources available online to help identify signs and treatment options.

One thing everyone can do is not to trivialize the issue. 

We often hear children and even sometimes adults joke about suicide. One might say “I am going to kill myself,” jokingly, but suicide is no joking matter. 

Our society needs to wake up and face this problem. We need to see the causes of suicide and notice the changes in people when they start acting suicidal.

Contrary to a popular myth, talking about suicide does not increase the odds of someone attempting suicide.  If anything, it decreases them.

There are many signs of people who may be suicidal and we need to start recognizing them.

If you see someone who is depressed, distancing him/herself from others, acting unusual, etc., talk to them.

Other risk factors that make suicide attempts more likely are access to firearms at home, a family history of mental illness, exposure to bullying, and substance abuse disorders.

You never know what other people are going through, and you could maybe even save a life.