Celebrity Suicides Bring Light To A Hidden Problem
On June 5, 2018 fashion designer Kate Spade hung herself. Her husband Andy said, “Kate suffered from depression and anxiety for many years. The most recent stressor may have been her husband filing for divorce after 24 years of marriage. This led to severe depression according to a Page-6 article by Yaron Steinbuch.
Soon after the death of Kate Spade Anthony Bourdain, celebrity cook, best-selling author of Kitchen Confidential and star of TV series A Cook’s Tour, and Parts Unknown, was found dead in a Paris hotel room. He also apparently hung himself.
Here are some statistics from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:
It is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States of America
44,965 Americans die each year in the USA
For each actual death there are another 25 attempts
The costs to the USA is $69 Billion annually
One of the statistics that surprised me is that 7 out of 10 people who killed themselves in 2016 were white males. This seems unusual in a way because this is the group that appears to be the most privileged in America. You would think that they would have the least reason to want to kill themselves. This brings to mind the saying that money doesn’t buy happiness.
Another disturbing statistic is related to deaths in the military. More service members are killing themselves than are dying in combat. Give that a minute to sink in. According to the AFSP there were 295 combat-related deaths in the year 2012, which is a terrible loss of life. Even worse though, in that same year were 349 service people killed themselves. They also state that 20% of all suicides are committed by veterans. Obviously, the military is not looking to broadcast this information. It could have a negative effect on the morale of service people and public support, as well as for recruitment and retention.
It would be very safe to say the people who serve in the military are under high levels of stress that can be chronic. Many of them have suffered from physical and or mental trauma, and some brain injury. Some have never been assessed or treated properly.
I believe that many people decide to kill themselves when they are not able to think clearly enough to look at the options they have to handle the problems that they find themselves in. We have all had times that we were so upset that we had difficulty thinking clearly. People who are experiencing acute or chronic anxiety or depression may be experiencing similar but magnified difficulty thinking clearly. For them suicide may seem like the only way out of the problem. Anxiety and depression can be complex problems to conquer and the more tools people have to work with the better. Biofeedback and neurofeedback can be therapy tools that can help people learn at least partial control over their physiology which can help to calm the nervous system and help a person feel better and help them feel that they have more control not only over their body but also over their situation.
Biofeedback therapy can be an important part of therapy for mental health issues related to thoughts of harming oneself including anxiety and depression. To learn more about certified biofeedback therapy providers visit the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance website www.bcia.org
We all need to be more mindful about people in our circle who show signs of being at risk and learn more about what to do to help. For more information or immediate help call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 800-273-8255.
Other resources:
National Alliance on Mental Illness: www.nami.org
AFSP: www.afsp.org
Harry L. Campbell
President, Biofeedback Resources International
Author of the book What Stress Can Do (available on www.Amazon.com )
www.biofeedbackinternational.com
