Citation

Kalin NH. Am. J. Psychiatry 2020; 177(10): 877-880.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20081207

PMID

32998546

Abstract

The suffering, anguish, and psychological trauma that loved ones endure when losing a family member to suicide is devastating, and for most people, unimaginable. As mental health care providers and as a profession, we are dedicated to decreasing suffering and to saving lives by preventing suicide. Although there is no doubt that by effectively treating depression and other major psychiatric disorders, we are frequently successful in reducing suicide, all too often we endure the terrible misfortune of losing one of our own patients to suicide. This serves as a stark reminder of our therapeutic inadequacies when it comes to preventing suicide, especially in our most determined and self-destructive patients. Despite major efforts to understand the factors underlying suicide and the efforts of suicide prevention programs, suicide continues to be a major public health problem, with rates increasing each year. In the United States, suicide is the 10th-leading overall cause of death, with more than 48,000 deaths attributed to suicide in 2018. At younger ages, death by suicide moves higher up the leading cause of death list to second place for those 10-34 years of age and to fourth place for those ages 35-54. In the United States, more than 50% of suicides are accomplished with firearms, approximately 60% occur in individuals with mood disorders, and there are an estimated 1.4 million suicide attempts per year (1)...

Language: en

Keywords

Depressive Disorders; Suicide and Self-Harm