Tag Archives: the volunteers

A Life Worth Living

Early in the spring of this year, I had the privilege and the pleasure meeting the good folks who carry out the mission of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in IL. Volunteers from all over the Chicagoland region gathered to share stories and learn how to increase awareness for the cause. I had the opportunity to give the volunteers useful tips on how to engage others through storytelling. Today, I’m launching my personal campaign to raise some funds so that I can join the volunteers when they walk to raise awareness for suicide prevention. The Out of the Darkness Community Walk takes place on Sept. 26 at Grant Park in Chicago.

Suicide is a serious public health problem that takes an enormous toll on families, friends, classmates, co-workers, and communities, as well as on our military personnel and veterans.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013–the most recent year for which full data is available–someone in the United States died by suicide every 12.9 minutes. This makes it the 10th leading cause of death for Americans, but unlike many other leading causes, suicide continues to claim more lives each year. Suicide is currently the third leading cause of death among young people age 15 to 24. The highest overall rates of suicide are for adults age 40 to 59.

To know the reason for someone’s suicide death is challenging. Research has shown that most people who die by suicide have a potentially treatable mental disorder at the time of their death. The disorder has often gone unrecognized and untreated. What we know about the causes of suicide is lagging behind that of other life-threatening illnesses because the stigma surrounding suicide has limited society’s investment in vital research.

The stories shared by volunteers at the gathering made me realize that even when our lives appear fine from the outside, locked within can be a world of quiet suffering, leading some to the decision to end their life.

Nadine Burke Harris, JD Schramm & Guy Winch
Nadine Burke Harris, JD Schramm & Guy Winch

Listen to three stories that ask us to break the silence surrounding suicide, advocate for medical interventions to counteract the damaging impact of stress, and encourage us to take care of our emotions and our minds with the same diligence in taking care of our bodies.