I've been seeing a lot over the past weeks about the 20th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine. I remember when that happened and a hot topic at the time was everyone debating "why". Many put the blame on the violent video games that the perpetrators played or the violent movies they watched. Some blamed the cliques at school while others surmised that there must have been bad parenting or problems at home. Everyone had an opinion and people desperately wanted to know how this could happen. They wanted a quick answer when there will never be one. It could have been some or all of those factors or none of them at all. The thought that students could go into their school and callously kill their fellow classmates and teachers blows our minds so much that many people find it easier to accept one of the common answers given by reporters.
I feel that the line of thinking associated with Columbine or any other tragedy that has happened in the past 20 years is used when addressing the problem of suicide and mental health in our country. Why is someone depressed? Why do they take their life? There will never be quick or easy answer to those questions, so we can't really expect a simple solution to work. I am so glad that the suicide prevention hotline is available and that there are more and more trainings available to students and faculty members at schools to help them understand warning signs, but these things alone will never be enough. Stopping someone from taking their own life is awesome and I don't want to downplay that at all. However, after a suicide attempt is thwarted or a mental health disorder is recognized in someone, if nothing is done to figure out the root cause of what is going on, what is to stop that person from attempting again?
I read an excellent article this weekend called "The Empty Promise of Suicide Prevention" by Dr. Amy Barnhorst and I think she really hit the nail on the head in addressing the problem we face in trying to combat suicide. I highly recommend reading the article yourself, but she gives an example of a patient she saw that shows some deeper issues that opened the door to a suicide attempt. This particular patient was homeless with no family, insurance or income among other things and she thought the easiest way out of the situation was to try to overdose. An antidepressant or other forms of medication probably would not be effective in someone like this because it is likely that she may not actually have any mental health related issues- she just felt hopeless and decided to try to end it all. It is highly likely that she would not have shown any of the typical warning signs.
Reading this article was liberating for me. Ever since my dad died, I have struggled with self-blame and the endless questions. How could I have missed the signs? Why didn't I push harder when he was getting discharged from the hospital and I thought he needed to be admitted to the psych unit? What could I have done to stop this? Understanding that the narrative of suicide prevention being simple and just a matter of understanding the signs or following certain steps is flawed really helped me. I'm sure I will always struggle with blame and questions, but I now feel like I am better able to focus my energy and efforts with the golf tournament. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and I hope you'll join me in making an effort to read and understand more about mental health disorders and the problems that those suffering face on a daily basis.
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