Education is key component in suicide prevention

When Hunter S. Thompson's ashes are shot from a cannon this week to mark the six-month "anniversary" of his suicide, the media coverage will likely reverberate as loudly as the blast, romanticizing suicide once again. As a survivor of my 15-year-old son's suicide and board member of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado, I feel a responsibility to remind people that suicide isn't a noble, selfless act to be celebrated. It's the last desperate act of people in agonizing pain and confusion, who were not able to find relief from an anguish we can't comprehend. They're our parents, siblings, children and friends.

Tragically, each year in Colorado more than 700 people die by suicide. Colorado has the eighth-highest suicide rate in the country. It's the second leading cause of death for Coloradans ages 10 to 34. More people die from suicide than motor vehicle accidents in Colorado.

Chances are you are surprised by these statistics and wonder why you've never heard them before. It's because suicide is shrouded in stigma and misinformation. Yes, it's uncomfortable and personal. Education and discussion around suicide and depression prevent, not cause, the act.

My children knew how to "stop, drop and roll" if their clothes were on fire. They knew to "buckle up", "just say no" and to avoid "stranger danger." We had talked about drinking and driving, safe sex and about substance abuse; but it had never occurred to me to talk about what depression feels like. Beginning that conversation is prevention.

It is widely believed that more than 90 percent of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental illness, often depression or a bipolar condition. Sometimes the torment of one of these medical conditions drives a person to seek relief in drugs and/or alcohol, which, of course, worsens the condition. These are treatable conditions, from which it is possible to recover and enjoy life.

It is vital that people understand that there is no shame in reaching out for help. Suicide is preventable because mental illness is treatable. We must openly discuss mental illness and work to help people, including our children, identify lifeing feelings of depression and despair.

We must encourage responsible, sensitive and balanced media reporting of suicide. It is imperative that people know the startling facts about suicide in Colorado. Each year in our state, 9,600 people attempt suicide. We consider tens of thousands more "survivors" of suicide because they have been directly affected by the suicide or attempted suicide of a friend or loved one. The grief, guilt and responsibility survivors feel is enormous.

I feel for Thompson's family and friends. I've been there.

An average of two people die each day in Colorado from suicide. Don't you think it's worthy of our attention and commitment to suicide prevention? That's why we work so fervently as suicide survivors. For more information on suicide prevention, please visit the SPCC Web site, www.suicidepreventioncolorado.org, or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at www.Afsp.org.

Johnson has been a board member for Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado for the past three years. She became involved in suicide prevention education after the suicide of her 15-year-old son, Darrick, in 1991.

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