What You Need to Know About the ‘Silent Suicide Epidemic’

Editor’s Note: Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues.
In the United States: Call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Helpline.
Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.

More than 49,000 people in the United States died by suicide in 2022, or one death every 11 minutes, and more than in any year since at least 1941, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additionally, 13.2 million people seriously considered suicide, 3.8 million planned it, and 1.6 million attempted suicide.

Although rates among 10- to 24-year-olds in the United States have declined, the statistics are a stark reminder that the “silent epidemic of suicide” is not over, said Dr. Mitch Prinstein, chief scientific officer of the American Psychological Association.

“The country still has one of the highest rates of suicide attempts in the developed world, and the number of suicides, at least half of which involve firearms, is still remarkably high,” Prinstein, the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said by email.

That’s why, this National Suicide Prevention Month and as always, it’s more important than ever to be informed about suicide and know that you don’t need to be a mental health professional to reduce your suicide risk or support your loved ones, said Dr. Justin Baker, clinical director of the Suicide and Trauma Reduction Initiative for Veterans, or STRIVE, at Ohio State University.

Globally, more than 720,000 people die by suicide each year, making it the third leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds.

This means parents need to have a “suicide conversation” with their teens, just as they have conversations about sex and drugs, Prinstein said.

“There are simple, proven steps that everyone can take to reduce their risk of suicide and the risk of their family and friends dying by suicide,” Baker, also an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral health at Ohio State University, said by email.

Knowing these five things about suicide can help.

1. Sometimes there are warning signs

Mental health professionals and researchers still have not been able to determine with certainty who is at risk of attempting suicide, and whether and when vulnerable people will do so, experts said.

This is because the stressors that can lead to suicide in some people do not have the same impact on others. Additionally, there is not always a long period of time during which a person is suicidal and acting in a way that indicates they need help.

But there are certain situations in which a suicidal person who is considering it in the long term may experience behavioral or emotional changes. These changes, along with other risk factors, may include the following:

● Unusual behavior with potentially lethal objects such as firearms or pills

● Donate valuable items

● Excessive or insufficient sleep

● Withdraw or isolate yourself

● Being heavily intoxicated or driving recklessly

● Talking about wanting to die, by suicide or otherwise

● I have trouble finding reasons to live

● Feeling like a burden, useless, or like you don’t belong anywhere or with anyone

● Feeling hopeless

● Drug addiction problems

● A story of trauma

● Suffer from mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and personality disorders, especially if they do not receive treatment

● Personal or family history of suicide

● Easy access to potentially lethal means

● Loss of interest in activities or school

2. Not all people who attempt suicide have a mental health problem.

One of the many common myths about suicide is that only people with mental health problems have suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide.

That’s not always true. Many people who attempt or complete suicide don’t meet the criteria for a mental health disorder, clinical psychologist Dr. Michael Roeske told CNN in a previous article. In fact, they likely don’t see how to cope with an extremely stressful situation like losing a job, home or loved one, infidelity, trauma, legal troubles, a debilitating illness or other crises.

3. There are ways you can help

If your loved one appears to be at risk of suicide, be supportive and deliberately ask what’s going on, experts advise. They recommend a person-centered narrative approach, such as asking an open-ended question like, “Hey, I’ve noticed that life has been overwhelming these past few days. Do you want to talk to me about it?”

Listen to them, appreciate their openness, and offer to help them figure it out together, without giving them unsolicited advice or encouragement about all the good reasons why they should stay alive—sometimes this can make them feel more alone. But if your loved one seems more urgently in danger or attempting suicide, get medical attention or call 911. You can also call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to speak to trained counselors who can help you or someone you know overcome suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek professional help and talk to someone you trust. Therapy and certain psychiatric medications, such as antidepressants, may also help.

Additionally, “developing a crisis response plan, a plan that people develop to identify coping strategies they can use in a crisis, can significantly reduce the risk of suicide attempts,” Baker said.

4. People who attempt suicide are not selfish.

Some people think suicide is a selfish act, but this interpretation is wrong and derogatory, experts say, because people who attempt or complete suicide often want to end their suffering or see themselves as a burden. Many see no other choice.

Therefore, the term “myopic” might be more appropriate, because their focus is limited to what is immediately in front of them, making them unable to see the big picture, their past, present and future, Roeske said.

5. How you talk about suicide matters

Not treating suicide as a taboo subject is an important step in reducing the stigma that keeps some people from seeking help. But what you say and how you say it matters, too.

That’s why many mental health experts, medical institutions, media outlets and others have stopped using certain harmful phrases, including “committed suicide,” which implies criminality and can carry a moral judgment, Dr. Jacek Debiec, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, told CNN in a previous article.

Describing a suicide attempt as “successful” is also problematic because committing suicide is not a positive achievement. A “failed suicide attempt” may suggest that surviving is not the best outcome or that there is something lacking in the suicide attempter’s character or willpower. Given these factors, when referring to suicide, appropriate terms include “committed suicide,” “made a fatal suicide attempt,” “completed suicide,” or “killed oneself,” experts said.

Acceptable shorthand ways to communicate not dying from an attempt include “nonfatal suicide attempt” or simply “suicide attempt.”

Using more compassionate language to talk about suicide can also improve empathy and suicide risk reduction strategies, experts said.

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