I called a friend in Maine last week to check in on him. He shocked me when he said 3 of his friends had committed suicide in the last 5 months. He said that for none of them, nobody saw it coming. That is evidently very common.
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S., affecting more than 16 million Americans, and the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. In 2023 on the heels of COVID, depression rates reached new highs, with 29% of U.S. adults reporting they had experienced depression at some point in their lives.
In 2016, nearly 45,000 Americans committed suicide, making suicide the 10th most common cause of death that year; along with drug overdoses and Alzheimer’s disease, suicide is one of three leading causes of death that are on the rise.
The suicides of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain, that occurred within days of each other, in 2018 reignited a much-needed public discussion about suicide, mental illness and its treatment. No one is immune. News stories said nobody saw it coming. Both were confirmed to have been on “pills” and Bourdain had battled heroin, cocaine and alcohol issues.
Statistics also reveal suicide rates have risen sharply across the U.S. since the early 2000s, prompting health authorities to call for “a comp difficult to get off. Many studies have shown that taking SSRIs actually INCREASE suicide risk.
I believe that happiness is an INSIDE job. Everyone is fighting a battle right now and will have to fight many in their lifetimes. Here is a new video from my wellness series. Please watch and share. Maybe it will help you.