Tag Archives: suicide

Jed Foundation Fills a Campus Mental Health Need and Honors a Loss

When Phil and Donna Satow lost their son, Jed, to suicide in 1998, they met with the president of the college he’d been attending to try to gain some understanding. Were there suicide prevention programs their son might have turned to, they asked. There was a counseling service, the president said, but it was shared […]

Suicide is Double in Rural Young People

A distressing new report from the journal JAMA Pediatrics finds that adolescents and young adults in rural communities take their own lives twice as often as those in cities, sparking an “urgent” need to ensure mental health help and access in large swaths of the country. And the gap between remote and urban populations is […]

Bullycide: How to Keep Bullying From Ruining Young Lives

A recent case of bullying is that of Ronin Shimizu, a 12-year-old who was allegedly bullied because he was a cheerleader. His family and friends said he was a friendly young man with diverse interests, some of which didn’t conform to gender norms. As a result, he was tormented with homophobic taunts. In a moment […]

Overcoming Addiction and Suicide: An Evening of ‘Sanity & Grace’

She stood on a podium in the middle of a stage in a suburban Philadelphia mega-church building, this musical legend with cloud-like hair billowing above her beautiful, life-etched face and beaming signature blue eyes. Enwrapped in a jewel-tone purple skirt, among her first words that greeted the anticipatory audience were, “OK, let’s get this out […]

Death with Dignity

On Nov. 2, 2014, a heartbeat ceased counting out the rhythm of a life that’d begun 29 years earlier. Along with her husband and parents, Brittany Maynard searched her conscience, consulted with the oncologist treating an end-stage glioblastoma, and decided to end her physical and emotional suffering under the physician’s supervision. She expressed her wishes […]

Groundbreaking Blood Test May Help Prevent Suicide

Could a simple blood test determine who is at a higher risk for suicide? Researchers from Johns Hopkins University say they have discovered a genetic marker linked to the human stress response that could predict a person’s risk of attempting suicide. The study was published in the July 30 edition of the American Journal of […]

Will Robin Williams’ Tragic Death Save the Lives of Others?

The late Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams was among the most effective public figures at de-stigmatizing mental illness and addiction by baring his own lifelong struggles with both. Williams, whose confessional brand of stand-up comedy was a form of “sharing his story” by coating anguish with humor, was found dead at his home Aug. […]

Pain a High-Risk Factor for Suicide

People affected by certain mental illnesses have substantially increased risks for developing pain, and some diagnosable mental disorders feature pain as one of their primary symptoms. In a study published in July 2013 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, a multi-institution research team examined the connection between pain and the chances of dying from suicide. The […]

Great Recession Blamed in More Than 10,000 Suicides

The Great Recession has been linked to more than 10,000 people killing themselves in what a startling new study called “economic suicides.” Examining death rates on two continents dating back to before the financial collapse, researchers attributed the devastating economic times between 2008 and 2010 to increasing numbers of people taking their own lives in […]

Is PTSD Culprit in Ft. Hood Tragedy? Signs Point Both Ways

Much remains unraveled about the gunman who opened fire at the Fort Hood military base, slaying three and gravely wounding 16 others before killing himself. But when officials mentioned that Army Spec. Ivan Lopez might have post-traumatic stress disorder, concern erupted about stigmatizing the complex condition suffered by millions.

Can Simple Finger Test Predict Suicide Risk?

People affected by depression-related mental disorders have increased chances of attempting and committing suicide. Examples of these disorders include major depression, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) and various forms of bipolar disorder. In a study published in September 2013 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, a team of Swedish and German researchers examined the usefulness of […]

International Increase in Suicides Caused by Worldwide Economic Crisis?

In September the online open-access medical journal BMJ published a report prepared by a group of researchers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United Kingdom who had collected and analyzed information about suicide rates in more than 50 countries. These mental health statisticians were interested in finding out if there had been any noticeable increase […]

Lithium Reduces Risk of Suicide

People suffering from a mood disorder are 30 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. Finding an effective treatment that reduces the likelihood of suicide in individuals with mood disorders is therefore an important area of research. Previous studies have indicated that lithium may possess this effect, but concerns about its side […]

Swedish Study Re-Affirms Link Between Mental Illness, Shortened Lifespan

In July 2013, the results of a massive 41-year Swedish study on epilepsy were published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. Among its more notable findings, this multi-generational research project uncovered a clear connection between mental illness in epileptic patients and premature death.

Family History, Childhood Trauma Increase Suicide Risk for Men

Researchers and mental health professionals have known for a long time that men and boys have elevated chances of dying from suicide, even though they make suicide attempts far less often than women and girls. Researchers and doctors have also identified many of the risk factors that increase the likelihood of suicide. According to the […]

Suicidal Teens Turn Away From Hotlines, Seek Solace in Social Media

The most widely used public method of preventing suicides — crisis hotlines — may not be as effective as previously thought.  New evidence suggests that teens in particular are highly unlikely to contact a hotline if they are experiencing suicidal thoughts or tendencies. Since adolescents are at higher risk of committing suicide than many others, […]

Top 10 Signs of Depression in Teens

At first glance, youth suicide statistics would not appear to be as alarming as one might suspect given the amount of publicity the problem receives. As of 2011, the suicide rate for individuals between the ages of 10 and 24 was at 7.8 per 100,000 people, which in raw numbers means that 4,000 to 5,000 […]

The Words of a Brave Survivor: A True and Unvarnished Picture of Bipolar Life

Unless the people around you are brilliantly aware and ceaselessly supportive, the troubling reality is that it often takes years, decades, for you to come to understand your life through the narrative of “brain disease.” Once you finally undertake an examination of the details of the disorder, only then does your life begin to make […]

Substance Abuse and Suicide

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, resulting in roughly 35,000 fatalities every year. In addition, nearly 11,000,000 American adults attempt suicide without success at some point in their lives. Altogether, people who abuse alcohol and/or drugs attempt to kill themselves nearly six times as frequently as people who […]

Addicted to Suicide?

These days, it seems as though everyone is addicted to something. From sex and shopping to chocolate and video games, there is no shortage of outlets for those seeking to numb their feelings or get a rush. And while all addictions have the capacity to destroy lives and must be taken seriously, a lesser known […]