You have likely heard of Kate Spade's recent death. She was a well-known designer with a husband and child. Yesterday, she was found hung in her apartment. Her death was shocking to most. Like many who have committed suicide, she did not fit any "obviously suicidal person" description. But neither does anyone else. Suicide has no stereotype. Suicide does not only affect a certain gender, class, or age. Suicidal thoughts are powerful, vicious thoughts that make the person suffering with them believe in lies.
Currently, suicide is the number 10 cause of death in Americans and is among the top 3 causes in adolescents. Someone suffering from suicidal thoughts does not look a certain way or walk around everywhere in tears or anger. They do not give off a "suicidal vibe."
Just because someone is diagnosed with depression does not mean they are suicidal, and just because someone is suicidal does not mean they have been diagnosed with depression. To further clarify, most people who commit suicide do indeed have depression, but their depression may have not yet been diagnosed or the individual themselves may not have even known they were clinically depressed.
Suicide is something that most people cannot truly understand. A suicidal person is not someone simply having a rough day or week. A suicidal brain is different than that of the average person. Typically, there is a neurotransmitter imbalance is someone suffering from depression and/or suicidal thoughts. The average person cannot visibly see a neurotransmitter imbalance in the person passing by.
We can physically see that someone has a broken arm. They likely have a cast or sling of some sort that indicates to anyone who sees them that they very likely have an injured limb. But with a suicidal person, it is not that simple. We cannot see the brain differences in the suicidal person standing next to us on the elevator.
You probably would be sure to hold the door open if you saw that the person behind you was in a sling. It's common to be a little kinder to those that we can see have some sort of pain or disability that may be impeding them a bit. Although when it comes to depression or almost any psychological illness, really, we cannot see that as easily as someone with an arm sling.
Due to the fact that all pain is not visible, it is even more crucial that we must be kind to one another. Share love every person we meet. Greet every person you see with a smile. Don't tear others down. Check on people. Assure those around you that you care.
Depression is real. Suicide is real-just ask the families of the almost 45,000 who committed suicide last year.
National suicide hotline prevention, available 24/7: 1-800-273-8255. Talk to someone. I want you to survive. I want you to be alive.
