Letter: Talk to your loved ones about issue of suicide

Editor:

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide has many triggers.

From years of involvement in suicide prevention, I’ve learned that the most common triggers are the end of a significant emotional relationship, usually romantic, and apparent extreme financial distress.

The most common suicide method is a firearm. Its lethality gives no second chances. White men are the largest cohort, with white women being the second largest cohort, accounting for about 80% of all suicides, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The easiest way to prevent suicide is to ask a person who is going through a major life change how they are feeling, if they are having thoughts of suicide and if they want to talk to you or a counselor.

Knowing that my children and I have inherited depression, I ask them about suicidal ideation when they appear to be depressed. As their parent I do not avoid talking about difficult mental health issues, theirs or mine, as I know that their lives may depend on my openness.

For me, being bipolar 2, suicidal ideation is a background condition. Other people I have communicated with who walk with bipolar 2 have a similar experience. We learn to walk with it the best we can.

Richard Gardner
Upper Bern Township

Source: Berkshire mont