b'|COVER STORYRecent high-profile cases have caused society to ask bigger questionsBy Diane Goodman, RN, MSN-C, CCRN, CNRNM ost Americans believe the surge inwould be OK and encouraged him to get back suicides began after the unfortunatein and finish the job by returning to his vehi-death of Robin Williams in 2014.cle, which he did. She was aghast when her Indeed, his death may have increased theactions resulted in an arrest and conviction. 5despondency of many Americans who mightSuicide continued to monopolize the news. have been thinking of taking their own lives.Chris Cornell, of Soundgarden rocker fame, The celebrity deaths of designer Kate Spadecommitted suicide on May 18 th , 2017, to be fol-and Anthony Bourdain followed in 2018, gar- lowed shortly thereafter by his friend Chester nering more attention for a subject the medi- Bennington, in July. Again, the media went cal community was hoping to forget. crazy talking about the rise in suicides in the Rather than focusing on the methods of sui- United States, without labeling a cause or dis-cide, and language utilized repeatedly by thecussing an origin. media, healthcare workers were encouragedThe problem? None of the statistics dis-to use different phrases. We were told to statecussing the rise of suicidal tendencies since that individuals had suffered a death by sui- the death of Robin Williams have been statis-cide rather than an act that was intentionallytically accurate.committed, e.g. killed themselves. MethodsSuicides have been rising steadily since to achieve that result were purposefully not1999 with a more pronounced increase over discussed, e.g. hanging or overdose by herointhe last few years. We had an avalanche that or pills. Every opportunity to remove inflam- has been gaining speed heading down the matory or provocative phrasing was utilizedhill as it slides faster and faster and loses con-by members of healthcare, but the deathstrol, without showing any intention of losing continued. momentum. 3The popular teen show 13 Reasons Why wasThe problem? Most professionals believe criticized for possibly encouraging immaturethe rise in suicide includes teens and white minds to imitate and/or emulate charactersmales, while the data demonstrates this is in the show. Both parents and psychologistsnot necessarily true. And while suicide rates weighed in, believing the danger to be real.began to pick up speed after 2016, becom-And in the news, a teenage girl gained noto- ing the second leading cause of death for ages riety for assisting her boyfriend (via text) to10-34, and the fourth leading cause for ages commit suicide via carbon monoxide inhala- 35-54, rates have also increased 1.8 times in tion. When he became frightened at the lastrural counties than urban by 2017. For males, moment and exited his truck, she insisted itthe rate increased by 26 percent from 1999 to www.elitecme.com |2019| MENTAL HEALTH 5'