The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) calls suicide one of most urgent mental health issues of our time, and each September is a time to draw additional awareness to the issue with Suicide Prevention Awareness Month or Suicide Prevention Month.
We agree that it’s a huge issue worth focus and care.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Suicide was responsible for 48,824 deaths in 2024. The number of people who think about or attempt suicide is even higher. In 2024, an estimated 14.3 million adults seriously thought about suicide, 4.6 million planned a suicide attempt, and 2.2 million attempted suicide.”
Unfortunately, suicide is something that affects way too many of us in one way or another.
We’ve known people over the course of our lives who seemed happy and well-adjusted (although they, like all of us, had hardships) before finding out much later they had attempted to take their own life on multiple occasions. We continue to be grateful they’re still around to experience life’s joys.
We have friends who have lost immediate family members to suicide.
One of the first enterprise stories we dug into after joining The SUN’s reporting staff centered on the astronomical suicide rate in Archuleta County at that time. That was a difficult time for the community, with more folks than average having to deal with the losses of loved ones through tragic means, and our first responders had to respond to and work those scenes more frequently.
And we know for many, it’s hit much closer to home.
It’s absolutely heartbreaking.
But we firmly believe suicide is preventable, that there is hope, and that all of us can take part in providing a society that values mental health, connection, and seeking help if and when you need it.
“Suicide is still too often met with silence, stigma, or shame,” the NAMI website states, adding, “With one conversation, asking someone how they’re really doing — and being ready to truly listen — can save lives. Because here’s what we know: No one has to face this alone. Help exists. Healing is possible. And all it can take is for one person to start a conversation.”
Undoubtedly, it’s awkward and difficult to broach the subject and start a conversation about life and death, hope and hopelessness, and mental wellness, but our community, and our society as a whole, could be better served if we’d all take a little time to prepare ourselves for those difficult conversations. It may be uncomfortable, but if we can make a difference in one life, we consider it worth it.
If you’d like to help and don’t know how, several resources, such as NAMI and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, offer a plethora of resources and information about suicide, its warning signs and more.
If you’d like to be more prepared by knowing some of the warning signs and risk factors of suicide, NAMI offers a list at www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/common-with-mental-illness/risk-of-suicide/.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call or text 988 immediately.
Talk to someone. Find help. You’re worth it. There’s hope.
Randi Pierce
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