I’m still processing the coincidence of the noteworthy suicides of two rich and famous people and the release of new statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say suicides grew at a 25-percent rate nationally from 1999 to 2016.
And then I thought about my students. I just finished teaching a class as an adjunct at San Francisco State University. Many of my students probably would have liked to have been Anthony Bourdain or Kate Spade, before last week.
I don’t think anyone would have wanted to be part of the trend from the newly released CDCP statistics. But the old stats are scary enough. According to the National Institute of Mental Health site, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15-34. It’s estimated that among those ages 18 to 25, the prime college years, 8.3 percent have had suicidal thoughts.
The new CDCP stats show a real diversity trend. The New York Times reports that the suicide rates have risen in most age and ethnic groups, even as rates of treatment and diagnosis have increased.
The big problem is that nearly 80 percent of people who commit suicide deny they are even thinking about it, according to Harvard professor of psychology Matthew Nock. So, how do you help people in denial, who when asked if things are okay always say things are okay, even when they’re not?
This is the state of mental health today. You got to keep them talking, if you’re lucky enough to get them to talk to you.
Most of the time, you will get silence. Or the good lie. Whether it be the stigma or the height of low self-esteem— not wanting to bother people with their personal dilemmas — silence is seen as a better option. No wonder meds are a go-to treatment, by default.
