Suicide Epidemic by Celia Ortiz

There are many solutions to suicide, one being medication prescribed by a psychiatrist. According to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, “Research shows that teaching health care professionals to recognize and treat depression is an effective way to reduce suicide rates. Because that is a proven fact, we focus here on how depression can be treated, both with medications and with psychotherapy” (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). Psychotherapy is the treatment of mental disorder through psychological means rather than medication. There are many medications for mental illnesses like depression. A few medications for depression include Zoloft, Zyrtec, lithium and rexulti.

Being a victim of suicide twice, once in 2008 and once again in 2018. In 2008, after being evaluated and sent to a psychiatric hospital there was and diagnose of mental illness of depression, which lead to attempt of suicide. In the psychiatric hospital, medication for depression was prescribed. A few months later medication was discontinued due to being uninsured.  Treatment was not followed up and unfortunately, there was still a risk for suicide.  In 2018, suicide was attempted once again, but this time there was health insurance and a follow up with a psychiatrist and a therapist. The psychiatrist prescribed me plenty of medication until we found the correct dosage and milligram; “At this time, there is only one medication, clozapine, approved by the FDA for suicide risk reduction in patients with schizophrenia. There is one study of mood disorder patients that shows that treatment with antidepressants, atypical antipsychotics, and lithium reduced death by suicide” (“Treatment”).

    Another solution for suicide is prevention. For instance, some people commit suicide when they overdose. That can be prevented by not doing drugs or mixing anti-depressant medications with what is prescribed. There is a national day to prevent suicide, which is stated as:

September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day and as such, we've pulled together the suicide rates of a selection of countries, by gender. Of the 25 looked at here, the World Health Organization estimates Russia to have by far the highest rate among men, at 48.3 cases per 100,000 populations in 2016. For women, India has the highest rate, with 14.5 cases. On the whole, more men than women commit suicide however there are some exceptions. In China, the rate for women is 8.3 while for men it is 7.9. (Armstrong)

There is also a National Suicide Prevention Hotline to call when feeling down so you can speak to someone if you are feeling alone and feel like committing suicide.

Suicide can be prevented by not having suicidal thoughts. One way to not have suicidal thoughts is to shift your way of thinking. As Juliette Lewis stated, “The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die” (Lewis). Think about the family and friends who love and care about you and how hurt they would be if you succeeded in killing yourself. Finally, spread hope and a positive outlook on life.

Emotional support is another solution for suicide. Having a therapist or even just someone to talk or a support system, such as friends and family, will help. There are also support groups through National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an organization that is dedicated to build better lives for millions of Americans who are being affected by mental illness. According to National Alliance of Mental Illness, “Let them know that mental health professionals are trained to help people understand their feelings and improve mental wellness and resiliency” (NAMI). 

Prayer is another solution for suicide. Prayer only works if you believe in the greater power. There is also a prayer for suicide prevention. Your faith must be strong with God. According to Drew, “For those thinking about suicide prayers help but are not enough” (Drew). In certain instances, some people need more than prayer to overcome suicide. Prayer does not work because suicide is a mental illness that is usually only cured through medication. In addition, according to Thomas, “They deserve us reminding them that seeking professional help is not a sin against God” (Thomas).

  Albert Camus was a philosopher and a French novelist. Albert Camus’ beliefs relate to the topic of suicide because he thought that life was worth living. Camus would never consider suicide or would want anyone to commit suicide, because that would be “judg[ing] life [as] not worth living” (Aronson). Albert Camus would think about the outcome and result of this epidemic topic. Albert Camus would think that the suicide epidemic was absurd. Absurd is lacking sense, illogical and inappropriate. Camus believed that suicide was a poor choice, and he also thought it was a serious philosophical problem (Aronson). According to Camus, life was absurd in various ways: life had no meaning; everyone was going to die, and cyclical mundanity (Mcguire; Maden).

The topic of suicide epidemic is very important because the world is at risk. Many close friends or family members can be suicidal and succeed in snuffing out their lives. The average daily suicide is 123, and this makes the epidemic the tenth leading cause of death (“Treatment”). Suicide can be prevented, and it continues to rise. With your help, the suicide epidemic can be stopped. Help be a part of the solution to the suicide epidemic and encourage victims to seek out support systems, for instance, prevention with prayer, medication, emotional support, and to avoiding suicidal thoughts.  

Works Cited

Armstrong, Martin. "Infographic: Suicide Rates Around the World." Statista Infographics, 10 Sept. 2019, www.statista.com/chart/15390/global-suicide-rates/.

Aronson, Ronald. "Albert Camus." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017, plato.stanford.edu/entries/camus/.

Drew, Anne-Marie. "For Those Thinking About Suicide, Prayers Help'but Are Not Enough." America Magazine, 28 Dec. 2018, www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/09/28/those-thinking-about-suicide-prayers-help-are-not-enough.

Lewis, Juliette. "Suicidal Thoughts Quotes (98 Quotes)." Goodreads | Meet Your Next Favorite Book, www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/suicidal-thoughts.

Macguire, Laura. "Camus and Absurdity." Philosophy Talk, 27 Feb. 2015, www.philosophytalk.org/blog/camus-and-absurdity.

Maden, Jack. "Camus on Coping with Life's Absurdity." Philosophy Break, Jan. 2019, philosophybreak.com/articles/absurdity-with-camus/.

National Alliance of Mental Illness. "Risk of Suicide." NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/related-conditions/risk-of-suicide.

Thomas, Danyelle. "If I'm Suicidal, Please Don't Tell Me to Pray – Unfit Christian." Unfit Christian, 8 Feb. 2019, www.unfitchristian.com/if-im-suicidal/.

"Treatment." American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. AFSP, 12 June 2018, afsp.org/about-suicide/preventing-suicide/.