Suicide prevention is something everyone can play a role in achieving

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Over the last three decades, Liz Riggs has lost her brother, her step-father and a nephew to suicide. Her maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother also died by suicide. That’s why the Winnetka woman worries “all the time” about whether she could lose any more family members to this public health epidemic that’s growing only worse.

Recently released provisional numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics show that nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. lost their lives to suicide last year. And the final count is likely to be even higher, according to the federal agency.

Here’s another shocking statistic: The national suicide rate of 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people reported for 2022 reached its highest level since 1941.

Riggs, a volunteer with the Illinois chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, is rightly concerned about the data. So are we: It’s more evidence of our nation’s mental health crisis, which this editorial board has noted before.

According to Riggs, the crisis stems in part from loneliness and isolation, which are especially acute among older men, those 75 and up — a group that is now killing themselves at a higher rate than any other age category, among both men and women.

Among women, those 45 to 54 had the highest suicide rate.

The experts tell us everyone can play a part in preventing suicide. Research shows suicidal thoughts are often temporary, but it’s imperative to know the signs and, when we see someone struggling, not hesitate to ask: Are you considering suicide?

About 12.3 million people thought seriously about suicide in 2021, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. And 3.5 million people made a plan, underscoring how important it is to speak up.

If you are with a person in crisis, it’s especially important to keep them away from guns. Firearms were used in more than half of suicides in 2022 — about 27,000 out of nearly 50,000, Angela Cummings, executive director of the suicide prevention foundation’s Illinois chapter, told us.

“We feel very strongly … that we have to address firearms as a public health safety issue, not as a gun control issue,” Cummings said, noting the number of firearms-related suicide deaths has been steadily increasing for decades.

In Illinois, 1,454 suicides were reported in 2021, the most recent year for which state-level statistics are available. Guns were used in 656, or 45%, of Illinois suicide deaths that year.

Another effective tool: the new 988 hotline

Since its launch in July 2022, the 988 suicide hotline has received more than 7 million calls nationwide. People can call or text the easy-to-remember phone number from anywhere in the country to get help for themselves or for others who are suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis.

Before last year’s launch, Illinois ranked last among all 50 states for the likelihood of a caller reaching a counselor in their area. More than 80% of calls made from Illinois got sent to out-of-state call centers.

“Now that has completely flipped,” Cummings told us. And the wait time to be connected to someone is under one minute, she said.

Federal funding for staffing of the 988 hotline runs out next year, Cummings said. She and other advocates rightly hope the General Assembly will allocate state funding to ensure callers from Illinois continue to get the help they desperately need. It’s a move we fully support as well.

Mike Bushman, 59, has struggled off and on with depression most of his life and contemplated suicide in high school. Now as a suicide prevention advocate, the avid hiker makes a point of wearing a T-shirt that says “stop suicide” or “mental health matters” when he’s out on hikes.

Strangers have approached the North Aurora resident at the Grand Canyon and Pike’s Peak to share their own struggles or confide in him about a loved one they’ve lost to suicide. Bushman suspects it’s easier for many people to talk to a stranger like him — or the person who answers a 988 call or text.

All of us should make it a point to talk openly about mental health and suicide, to help bring down these alarming numbers.

Everyone has a role to play in saving lives.

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