When Fonda Bryant called her aunt to ask if she wanted shoes, her aunt knew something was wrong.
“She said, ‘Are you going to kill yourself?'” Bryant recalled. “And I said, ‘Yes.’ And she sprung into action like a superhero and saved my life.”
Unbeknownst to him and his family, Bryant suffered from depression and was on the verge of suicide. Her experience reflects the growing suicide crisis across the United States.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, which focuses on the urgent need for continued awareness of the signs of suicide and how to prevent it. But even as conversations about mental health become more common in public spaces, statistics show that speaking up for help remains difficult.
How can I help someone who is suicidal?
Although 47% of U.S. adults receive mental health care each year, the average delay between onset of symptoms and treatment is a staggering 11 years. National Alliance on Mental Illness.Ann American Psychiatric Association survey We found that more than a quarter of American workers don’t know how to access mental health care through their employer.
After declining in 2019 and 2020, the suicide rate increased by 2.6% from 2022 and 5% from the previous year, according to . CDC data.
“The situation is not good. We have not been able to continue to measurably reduce suicide rates in the United States,” said J.J., professor of translational neuroscience at Columbia University in New York and head of the Conte committee.・Dr. John Mann says: The Center for Suicide Prevention told USA TODAY.
Suicide is rarely an isolated condition and is often accompanied by mental illness or other conditions.
For Bryant, the diagnosis was depression, which is closely correlated with suicidal tendencies.
Bryant said her suicide attempt came after a long battle with depression. As a single mother, working full-time, and facing tough economic conditions, Bryant began to feel that her daily stress was spiraling out of control.
“Every movement I did took a lot of energy and took a lot of effort. Even talking, washing, just getting through the day,” she said. “It felt like I was walking through molasses.”
At least 90% of people who attempt suicide have a psychiatric diagnosis, Mann said. “It’s very rare to see suicides, deaths, or even attempts outside of mental illness, and half of those illnesses are depression.”
Mental health problems can lead to social sigma
Bryant, a suicide survivor, says the deep-rooted stigma surrounding depression and mental illness remains one of the biggest barriers to getting help for those suffering.
“We are being held accountable for mass murder,” Bryant said. “Who wants to put it out there that you have a mental health condition when we could lose our jobs? That’s why we don’t say anything.”
This stigma often comes into play in the form of comments that people who suffer from depression encounter when they share their symptoms. This may include suggestions to get outside more, exercise more, be more social, or other advice that masks the seriousness of the psychiatric diagnosis.
“If you break your leg, you have to see someone, put a cast on it, get an orthopedic surgeon, and then rest and let it heal before you can walk around again,” Mann says. “It’s the same thing with depression. Get treated, then start socializing, then start doing well again in school and everything else, not the other way around.”
Statistics show that as more Americans learn about suicide prevention methods, the stigma may fade.
“Ninety-four percent of people believe suicide is preventable, and more than 80% want to do something to help someone,” said Jill Harkavy Friedman, senior vice president of research at the American Federation for Suicide Prevention. told USA TODAY. “So I think these are signs that stigma is being reduced. The problem is that only 30% of people know how to know when someone is in danger and what to do. That’s the thing.”
What is depression?
What’s the most effective way to spot the signs of depression? Mann said it all comes down to noticing changes in behavior. “He’s not his usual self. He’s quieter. He’s having a hard time, especially in the mornings. His work performance is going down, his education is going down,” Mann said.
When it comes to thwarting suicide attempts, the best course of action may be a simple, direct check-in, like the conversation Bryant had with his aunt that saved his life.
“If you’re worried about someone, the first step is to trust them and have a conversation. It could start with just, ‘How are you doing?'” Harkaby-Friedman said. “I don’t need to be a therapist. I just want to open the door and say, ‘I care about you, and I think you might feel bad enough to want to end your life.'”
Mann emphasized the importance of face-to-face conversations. “When you meet someone and ask them how they’re doing, look at them as they give you an answer. Look at what that answer means and what you already know about them and how they’re doing.” Please consider this in light of this.”
more:New Mexico governor’s temporary gun ban sparks legal battle and law enforcement protests
‘You are not alone. Need help? ‘
After experiencing another suicide in 2014, Bryant decided to turn his experience into action. One night after she was fired from her job, she walked out of the gym and drove her car to a parking deck in uptown Charlotte to jump past her. .
Bryant said he heard a voice telling him to get back in his car. She continued to stare at the moon until she got home, and the moment she parked her car, she broke down in tears.
The experience sparked a campaign in which she held up signs that read, “You’re not alone. Do you need help?” So are suicide prevention hotlines located around every parking lot in North Carolina.
Her efforts led to a bill introduced by Sen. Paul Feeney (R-Mass.) that would require signs in parking lots across the state. This bill was introduced as follows: Fonda Bryant Suicide Prevention Label Law In April, North Carolina Congresswoman Carla Cunningham spoke at the North Carolina General Assembly. Bryant expects it to pass this month.
“When you’re struggling, you often feel like you’re alone, even though you know there are others,” Bryant says. “I don’t want you to wear too many things. I just don’t want you to be alone.”
Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Email her at [email protected]. @CybeleMO Follow her on her x
