If in the melancholy shades below,
the flames of friends and lovers cease to glow,
Yet mine shall sacred last; mine undecayed
Burn on through death and animate my shade.
-From Homer's Iliad
I had a distant friend that shot himself a few months ago, leaving his daughters to figure out all the pain and confusion of life after suicide.
Today, I visited my second former youth that attempted suicide a few days ago. I got the news down in Portland that she had tried to kill herself and was in the hospital. I visited her today and was yet again, reminded that we live in a culture that is suffering from deep pain, emptiness and for some it's a life and death issue.
This last year, I've been to the funeral of another former teen I pastored and visited another in the psych ward after an attempted suicide. It's been a tough year.
-Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents ages 15 through 24.
-Suicide is ranked number 11 in the leading cause of death of Americans.
-There are nearly one million suicide attempts in the United States each year.
-A suicide occurs approximately every 17 minutes in the United States.
- Women attempt suicide as much as three times more often than men.
I have suffered over the years with depression and know it's hard grip.
If you are suffering and contemplating suicide. Please...seek out some help.
I did.
3 comments:
I did too.
I also read a statistic that while the number of attempts is higher among women, the number of actual suicide related deaths is higher among men.
Men are less likely to speak out about it until it's too late.
If I may, I would add, if you even suspect someone you know (male or female) is even thinking about it, be there for them. Don't rush in with an intervention, but just let them know you're available. That's what stopped me. Knowing someone cared.
The thought crossed my mind several times in my teen years....and then a couple times well going through my divorce...
One good thing about my legalistic upbringing..the fear of hell kept me from ever really seriously considering it... 8o
Men are more likely to shoot themselves while women tend to use pills. So while women might attempt it more, they are more likely to fail.
The good news is that she doesn't want to die and regrets what she did. I honestly am not worried about losing her anymore, but I am still worried.
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