The Unspoken Problem in America: Suicide and Mental Illness

By: Robert Holman

I lost a close friend May 21 this year to suicide; his name is Devin. It’s still so surreal. Devin was taken way too early, and he wasn't even seventeen. Devin had so much life left to experience, things that are barely fathomable as a teenager. I often reflect on what I could have done differently, but the hard reality of it is that nothing I do will bring him back. I know I can't bring him back, but I can help people and advocate for others who are hurting. I was initially unaware of this evolving crisis, but now I am all too familiar with it, and I wish it on nobody. Perhaps the greatest evil among the many in suicide is the recognition that the individual felt no other viable options, that they were crying out in despair yet there was nothing for them to cling to that would make them want to remain on earth. This isn’t just Devin’s story; it's over 47,000 fellow Americans annually. Suicide is one of the most pressing issues facing America currently. Mental health in these times of uncertainty is just as vital to a functioning nation as the physical well-being of someone. The U.S must address this evolving issue of suicide among its people.

In these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever to remain vigilant; to be there for each other and to be able to find professional mental help for those who need it. Yes, Covid-19 emerged and is ravaging America, but that does not mean we as a nation must ignore the mental and emotional plight of one another. We must not solely focus on physical well-being in these times, but also on the emotional state of others as well. Mental and physical health are not mutually exclusive, in fact, they can often be intertwined. The current political discourse and the emergence of a global pandemic are resulting in the perfect environment for an increase in suicide. Contemplation about suicide and self harm has been on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, “During March 2020, the Disaster Distress Helpline saw a 338 percent increase in call volume compared with February 2020." Measures enacted to keep people safe from COVID-19 have the potential to be damaging to mental health. Social distancing and self-quarantine as well as the increasing difficulty to provide mental health services due to some state restrictions. One can go to a grocery store, but they can't go to school or church. These institutions can be a vital outlet, especially for those who have a dysfunctional home life. Children who have lost a parent or have abusive and neglectful parents have bad living conditions; therefore they rely upon these institutions. The Covid-19 Pandemic seems dire and has great potential to cause suicide to rise; however, history illustrates that a nation can use such disasters to unite as well. These times can be a force to pull everyone together and make us a more aware and better nation. Even in these dire times, there is an opportunity for our nation to emerge stronger and more united after suffering this tragedy. America is blessed with the ability and time to reflect on improvement, as well as the avenue to voice their opinions and exercise their rights as citizens.

Why are suicide and mental health issues on the rise in recent times? Is it a result of the breaking down of the family unit? The family unit plays a vital role in the mental and emotional stability of an individual; the significance of a united household cannot be understated. The importance of a united family cannot be understated as “...a new study shows that children of single-parent homes are more than twice as likely to commit suicide”. I am in no way undermining the importance of mental health access, rather I am simply implying that the strengthening of the family unit as well as increasing mental health availability will aid Americans. A dysfunctional family or a family with a history of suicide requires increased awareness given that suicide is not inherited; however, psychological disorders that are passed can increase susceptibility. A stable united family is vital in mental and emotional health because “people who come from broken homes are almost twice as likely to attempt suicide than those who do not come from broken homes". Encouraging united families can only improve the U.S and hopefully cause a decline in suicide. Two-parent households offer significant advantages over single-parent households; emotionally and economically. The reality of two-parent households is that in many situations it's not always feasible. Increasing pre-marital counseling has the potential to help marriages and ultimately strengthen the family unit. A healthy marriage keeps the family intact. Our society too often prefers to consult a divorce attorney instead of a marriage counselor. Emphasis ought to be placed on saving a marriage rather than ending it, counseling is financially easier to seek than a divorce as well as less mentally and emotionally draining. Increasing insurance coverage for mental health services including marriage counseling would be beneficial. Mitigating the risk of suicide by strengthening the family unit ought to be explored and attempted. Given the diversity regarding every case, there must be a myriad of solutions readily available. I am not advocating for strengthening the family as the only means to discourage suicide; rather I’m making another suggestion in addition to mainstream ones.

Adolescents and young adults are the most at-risk population to suicide. They experience countless changes to their environment from physiological changes to mental development and creating an identity for themselves. Regardless of the causation for an increase in suicide by young people it is concerning when, "the JAMA study said the youth suicide rate — 14.6 per 100,000 — appears to be the highest it’s been since the government began collecting such statistics in 1960". These alarming numbers are almost expected with the explosion in adolescent depression and anxiety in recent times. To proactively address this crisis we must get to the root of the problem by lowering depression and anxiety rates in young adults. Social media is a highly toxic environment, which negatively contributes to a deteriorated mental state especially among teenagers because the fact “...is that if you use less social media, you are actually less depressed and less lonely, meaning that the decreased social media use is what causes that qualitative shift in your well-being,” said Jordyn Young, a co-author of the paper and a senior at the University of Pennsylvania”. Limiting one’s exposure to social media will lessen the symptoms of depression, therefore everyone, especially adolescents, should limit their time on social media to improve their health. Recreational activities of teens have transformed in recent years. They have increased reliance on technology that has made teens become almost codependent on these devices. Social media and video games have created a manufactured reality that has distorted life for the average individual to expectations that are unachievable. The societal pressures teens endure to look like a model and make expectations that are only achievable with editing. It is almost impossible to go through an app such as Instagram without creating unachievable expectations from looking at all photoshopped and edited pictures. These perceptions are only one aspect of such a toxic environment. These platforms enable cyberbullying and breed lighthearted mindsets to serious issues. Flippant remarks are too often used to simplify grave issues to make it lighthearted. I am all too guilty of attempting humor with dark humor, which is irreverent and not funny; humor is fun and enjoyable but not at the expense of desensitizing society and creating a sense of lightheartedness in serious tragedies. People that address the counterproductive behavior in these attempts are often labeled a “snowflake" or "sensitive”, but reality is that in some circumstances they are giving due respect to a situation. There must be a distinction between dark humor for entertainment and blatant disrespect or irreverent attitudes to certain situations.

Suicide and mental health are not political topics, everyone must unite; it’s not Conservative vs Liberal or Republican vs Democratic; it's Americans against suicide. The increase in suicide fatalities speaks to the degrading nature of our society and its failures that must be addressed as a united front. Suicide must be addressed at the local level in schools. James Clemens, the high school I attend, did not have an anti-suicide week or any day in September to address the evolving crisis. Furthermore, there was a perceived reluctance to have such campaigns due to “glamorization” of the issue. This would be reasonable assuming the contagion effect would occur, but there is no evidence to suggest that anti-suicide campaigns are the causation. Accurate release of information illustrates that “the risk for suicide contagion as a result of media reporting can be minimized by factual and concise media reports of suicide”. My school must do more for this growing epidemic, a one-day mental health event after school is not efficient. There needs to be an in-school assembly or awareness day to ensure that certain populations among the students are not marginalized. Students that must ride the bus simply cannot attend, as well as students that have countless after school activities. James Clemens should reform their advisory program and turn it into a support group, or at the very least, address meaningful issues. The character strong program had good intentions in advisory, but attempting to impact the characters of high schoolers via a 30-minute "goof-off" period is asinine. Suicide must be fought with a united family, community, and country in order to create meaningful change in our society.

Edited by: Khushi Patel and Austen Wyche

Posted: June 24, 2020

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