Depression that leads to suicide is no respecter of persons.

It isn’t just the plight of the financially-strapped, unemployed provider of a household, or the teen who’s tormented by bullies at school, or the aging retiree who’s weary of declining energy and escalating physical pain.

Just ask those who knew Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain.

Spade, renown fashion designer, 55, apparently took her life recently in her New York apartment.  The depression and anxiety that reportedly had stalked her for years finally conquered their prey. They found Bourdain, 61, a celebrity chef and author with an award-winning TV program, dead from an apparent suicide in his hotel room in France.  For Spade and Bourdain, fame and fortune didn’t have the allure of relief from inner torment.  Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says, “This is not a condition that is related to success or failure.  No one is immune.”

These celebrity cases shine a bright spotlight on a significant rise in suicide rates.  In 2016, in the U. S., nearly 45,000 people took their own life.  From 1999 to 2016, the rate of suicide rose 28%. Though suicide is more common among middle-age and the elderly, rates are increasing for younger age groups. In 2015, compared to 2008, almost twice as many children were hospitalized for attempts at or contemplation of suicide.  Among girls ages 10-19, from 2010 to 2016,  suicide rose by 70%–423 deaths compared to 687.

To help prevent suicide among family members, friends, and co-workers, it’s important to know what to watch for and to listen for.  Take heed of the following indicators of depression or precursors of suicide attempts.  I’ve gleaned these warning signs from two sources:  a post by Sarah Klein, “8 Signs Someone Is at Risk for Suicide,” and a post from the Odyssey website, “13 Signs Someone Might Be Suicidal.”

1. Diagnosis of Depression or Bi-polar Disorder

You might be thinking, “That goes without saying.”  Yet some suicides aren’t necessarily linked to a chronic despondency that has been diagnosed by a professional. An emotional overreaction to a tragedy or loss may spawn an impulsive decision to take one’s life.  A person with enough of a depressive pattern to receive a diagnosis is more prone to consider suicide as an alternative to the pain.

Also, suicide is a higher risk among people who improve with medication, then, without their doctor’s approval, suddenly go off their medication, thinking it is no longer needed.  Based on what I’ve read, this is especially true of bi-polar medications.  A person on such strong meds should taper off, lowering the dosage over several weeks, rather than suddenly stop the medicine altogether. The sudden effect on brain chemistry of total, immediate withdrawal may plunge a person into deep despair quickly rather than gradually.

2.  Suicidal Talk

Listen closely when someone tells you he is thinking of harming himself or says he doesn’t want to live.  Intervene.  Pray with him. Don’t leave him alone. Let him know–even if you risk the friendship–that you’re going to get help.  Call 1-800-273-8255 for a connection to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

3.  Escalation of Guilt Feelings or Anxiety

Listen for remarks about letting people down all the time, or false guilt about past sins that a Christian keeps bringing up.  About half of depressed people have “agitated depression,” which shows  not in listless behavior or fatigue, but in people who seem far more restless, anxious or stressful than their circumstances dictate.  Or they may have trouble sleeping or focusing.

4.  Social Isolation

Look for folks who are far less engaged than usual in their normal spheres of relationships.  They spend much more time alone and cut themselves off from usual conversations with family or friends.

5.  Risky Behavior

Driving more recklessly, picking fights, imbibing more alcohol, or starting drug use may reveal less interest in living, because suicidal people simply take more risks.

6.  Obtaining a Weapon

Lots of emotionally healthy people purchase a weapon, but it’s a red flag when such a purchase is combined with a couple other signs I’m listing.  Getting a weapon is a loud warning sign for someone who doesn’t need the firearm for protection, such as a lady who lives alone.   One study revealed that the presence of a gun in the home increases the risk of a suicide by up to ten times.  Guns account for less than 10% of all suicide attempts, but those involving guns are far more likely to be fatal. The reason men are twice as successful in their suicide attempts compared to women is that males are more like to use a firearm.

7.  Declining Health

The physical restraints of aging–increase in bodily pain or fatigue–combined with the loss of a spouse,  retirement from meaningful employment, or loss of one’s home or independence, explains why adults 45-64 have the highest suicide rate (19.6%),  followed closely by those over 85 years old (19.4%).

8.  Internet Searches

People who plan their suicide attempts often research the internet for ways to kill themselves.  Many loved ones have found such a web-browsing history of  family members who took their own life. Perhaps parents concerned about their teen’s recent behavior should monitor his or her Facebook, MySpace, and other social media platforms for any indicators of suicidal thinking.

9.  Giving Away Prized Possessions

A person who’s plotting his own demise may start giving away items that have been important to him, especially those that are most expensive.

 

If you see yourself in any of these indicators, I beg you not to give up.  Think of the persons who love you, not of the pain you yearn to escape. In one sense, dying is easy.  It’s living that’s hard.  Are you willing to do the hard thing for the sake of those who care about you, and for the sake of ministry God may give you in the future?

In a recent post titled “The Struggle of Suicide,” (June 9, 2018),  author and pastor Max Lucado urges hurting people to consider one of the great promises of the Bible:

“The promise begins with the phrase, ‘Weeping may last through the night’ (Psalm 30:5).

“Of course, you knew that much.  You didn’t need to read the verse to know its truth.  Weeping can last through the night, and the next night, and the next.

“This is not news to you.

“But this may be:  ‘but a shout of joy comes in the morning’ (Psalm 30:5).  Despair will not rule the day.  Sorrow will not last forever.  The clouds may eclipse the sun, but they cannot eliminate it.  Night may prolong the dawn, but it cannot defeat it.  Morning comes.  Not as quickly as we want.  Not as dramatically as we desire.  But morning comes, and with it, comes joy.  Joy comes!

“Joy comes because God comes.

“You’ll be tempted to give up.  Please don’t.  Open your Bible.  Talk to God. Share about your hurt with someone.  Seek help.   Place yourself in a position to be found by hope.  Weeping comes.  But so does joy.  Darkness comes, but so does the morning.  Sadness comes, but so does hope,  Sorrow may have the night, but it cannot have our life.”

 

I encourage you to read all of Lucado’s post, put on the “Christian Books” blog.  He includes a true story of God’s intervention for a woman caught in the vise-grip of despair.  The story vividly illustrates both parts of Psalm 30:5. Find it at this link:

https://www.christianbooks.org/blog/the-struggle-of-suicide/