Celebrity suicides highlight challenges of prevention
The Stoneham SunJul 04, 2018
Not much time passed in the lead-up to
He had recently purchased a new condo after a successful career in academia, but fell quickly into a state of depression when he suddenly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in a scam. He started hearing voices inside his head and eventually made an attempt on his life.
"The tailspin wasn't years, it was months," Linari said. "I saw no way out."
Linari's story echoes thousands of others throughout the commonwealth and across
And while federal, state and private entities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on trying to understand suicide and suicide prevention, suicide attempts and deaths continue to climb.
In
Nationwide suicide rates, meanwhile, increased 30 percent during the same period, and it's likely the numbers are understated. Absent specific evidence, such as a note describing one's intentions, determining suicide deaths can be tricky for medical examiners. Additionally, many believe a portion of fatal overdoses happen on purpose, but are not counted as suicides. In
"We think probably between 25 to 40 percent of drug overdoses may be suicides, but it's hard to quantify," said the Rev.
Suicide is now a leading cause of death in
"Suicide rates have increased in nearly every state from 1999 through 2016," according to
The upward trend is clear. Less clear is why it's happening.
Some health professionals argue not enough money is being allocated toward answering the question, and that too much is spent on widespread public awareness campaigns, which are less effective than more direct outreach to known, at-risk individuals, including those with mental illnesses and direct relatives of people who have died by suicide.
"Despite their popularity as a public health intervention, the effectiveness of public awareness and education campaigns in reducing suicidal behavior has seldom been systematically evaluated," according to an often-cited 2005 study in the
"As suicide and suicidal behavior become more recognized and is reported more frequently, rates will actually increase for a time," according to the coalition.
Contributing to the uncertainty surrounding suicides and suicide prevention is widespread disagreement about how it should be discussed. Historically, suicides haven't been discussed much in public, which many argue perpetuates the issue. Nonetheless, talking too much about suicide, or glorifying it, can result in an uptick in suicides.
The latter is known as "suicide contagion," which is often raised as a concern when there are a string of similar suicides. Last year, a Wicked Local report showed a surge in the number of suicides and accidental deaths on
Similarly, when well-liked public figures and celebrities kill themselves, including the recent deaths of international superstar DJ Avicii, famed designer
In 1989, a group of journalists, public health professionals and the
"All parties should understand that a scientific basis exists for concern that news coverage of suicide may contribute to the causation of suicide," according to the report.
There's some evidence to suggest the guidelines yielded success, and the
"News coverage is less likely to contribute to suicide contagion when reports of community expressions of grief are minimized," according to the
The social media factor is especially difficult for teenagers and younger adults, who already face bullying nonexistent in a pre-internet world, according to Lima.
"I'm 60 years old, and I was bullied at school. I was called 'Tinsel-teethed, four-eyed, skinny kid.' But when I went home I was in a safe place," Lima explained. "Now, with social media, texting and all the other things, bullying is 24/7 and shame is worldwide."
The clergyman, who is also the executive minister of
His efforts have been recognized by the state and seem to carry some weight on an issue where answers are seemingly scant. The
Linari, a
"To end everything is not a way out, it's just a termination of your purpose and life," he said. "If you're in trouble, and feeling suicidal, there is help."