This article is about suicide statistics, the facts.  The signs and how you may can help someone will be in Suicide--Part 2, and the Biblical view or God's view on suicide will be in Suicide--Part 3.

        What is the definition of suicide?  Suicide is the intentional taking of one's own life; intentionally killing oneself; self-murder. 

        Suicide used to be a pretty rare event, but it is not anymore.  We hear of suicide so often these days that it seems almost to be a trend.  When we look at some of the cases, the reason for them dying can seem so trivial to us who are still living and left behind, but taking one's own life is never trivial, it is very real, and it is very sad.

     

       The National Institute of Mental Health lists several statistics about suicide:

1.  About 45,000+ Americans die from suicide each year.

2.  About 1 million people in the world die from suicide each year.

3.  Suicide is about the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

4.  Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in young adults between the ages of 15 and 24, with the 1st being death from car accidents, 2nd being homicide, and 4th being illness.

5.  For every suicide committed, there are actually 25 attempted and failed suicides in the United States.

6.  Men die by suicide four more times than women; however, women are more likely to attempt suicide.

7.  On average, there are about 121 suicides per day in the United States.

8.  Over 90% of Americans who commit suicide have a psychiatric or mental illness, mainly depression.

9.  Firearms account for almost 50% of suicides.

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        The top 5 reasons young adults commit suicide (or attempt suicide) are as follows:

1.  Bullying and peer pressure.

2.  Mental disorder.

3.  Sexual orientation.

4.  Domestic abuse.

5.  Drug and alcohol abuse.

Reasons 6-10 are divorce, emotional neglect, sexual abuse, cyberbullying and stress.

       

A suicidal person may not ask for help, but that does not mean that help is not wanted.  Most of the time, people who take their own lives do not really want to die--they just want to stop hurting.  Suicide is a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become just too unbearable for them.  A suicidal person is usually blinded by feeling of self-loathing, depression, hopelessness, helplessness, loneliness, despair and other things, to the point that they cannot see a way of finding relief except through death.  Most likely, they wish there was an alternative to suicide, but they just cannot see one.  They are in so much pain, they see no other option.  In fact, living becomes much harder for them than they feel death could ever be.

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National Suicide Hotline Call 988 .....Available 24-7

Suicide and Crisis Hotline  1-800-999-9999.....Available 24-7

Crisis Text Line--text hello to 741741

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Read "Suicide--Part II" for the signs of suicide and how you may can help someone who is contemplating suicide, "Suicide--Part III" for the biblical view on suicide a"Suicide--Part IV" for someone who may be considering suicide.

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