September is suicide awareness month, a time for us to check in on those around us, to care for those struggling and remember our losses. There are multiple ways a person can experience suicide and the thoughts around. One is the actual action of taking your own life, another is attempted suicide which is an action with the intent of harm to ones life, and finally suicidal intention that is thinking, considering, or planning it. Something else to consider is the effect it has on the people around the person as well. 

In the United States suicide is the leading cause of death, we had 49,000 deaths in 2023. That would be 11 deaths per minute according to a CDC suicide prevention article. Taking into account the number of actual death their were 12.8 million reported in 2023 the seriously considered suicide. Racially and ethnically the most reported suicides are Non-hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native. Followed by Non-Hispanic White and Non-Hispanic Hawaiian Native/Pacific islander, with rates going down from there. On a gender scale men have a high rate, being only 50% of the population their suicide rate is 80%. Age wise rates start being the strongest at 15 and keep going up. The highest rate is for ages 85+ at 22.7%.

While there is never a definite reason for why people commit suicide, there are lots of factors that could put someone at risk. Such as mental health issues, depression, substance use issues, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, poor relationships, conduct disorders, anxiety, serious physical health issues, and brain trauma. Everyone has a different experience in life so while these are some main causes there are more. It can even be more of an environmental cause from discrimination, bullying, rejection, divorce, or financial problems. 

Often there are warning signs in the way the person has been talking, their mood, and  actions. If you notice something off it’s recommended to just have a conversation with them and find out how they really feel. Then put in place a prevention plan, give them mental health support through therapy or other means. Get them connected to friends and family and doing things they love. 

Look out for those around you and take care of yourself mentally and physically. 

Https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html 

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide 

https://afsp.org/risk-factors-protective-factors-and-warning-signs/