Suicide Is Real
This morning I read some shocking statistics straight from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
The numbers
- Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the US
- In 2022, 49,476 Americans died by suicide
- Men died by suicide 3.85x more than women — meaning ~80% were men
- White males accounted for 68.46% of suicide deaths
- There were an estimated 1.6M suicide attempts in the US
- Firearms accounted for 54.64% of all suicide deaths
- 94% of adults surveyed think suicide can be prevented
In New Zealand we also face serious struggles with suicide among both youth and adults and it’s often kept “hush hush”. New Zealand’s youth suicide rate for adolescents aged 15–19 was reported to be the highest of 41 OECD/EU countries (based on data from 2010). While not as high as the US, men are more than twice as likely to die by suicide than women in New Zealand — Mental Health Foundation NZ.
It’s personal
I have lost two very close friends to suicide in the past three years (both very talented males in their early 30s). I think about both of them everyday. Living in different parts of the world meant I awoke to a barrage of missed calls, voicemails and messages from other friends in our circles back home. I called back and heard the news that we’d lost our friend.
When the first friend departed this earth in 2021 I had a sinking feeling — why so many calls and messages from all these people? As sad as it sounds, when the second friend departed this earth, only around three months ago in July, I knew exactly what had happened before even calling. Fucked up. Here’s hoping no more waking up to these type of calls.
If you’re struggling
Reach out. Sometimes just speaking to someone who is genuinely listening can make a world of difference:
- 🇳🇿 NZ: depression.org.nz
- 🇦🇺 AU: Beyond Blue
- 🇺🇸 US: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Bonus for Kiwis: Thanks to a Reddit user who commented on the thread I started on this topic in r/newzealand: “For free counselling and support in NZ after a bereavement by suicide, I would highly recommend connecting with Aoake te Rā. Providers are specially trained to support with navigating the complex emotions that occur after a suicide loss; many of them have lived experience. You can self-refer via their website aoaketera.org.nz.”