Break the silence on suicide, and you could help save a life

Break the silence on suicide, and you could help save a life


Published: Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 1:58 p.m.


Suicide is the ignored epidemic of our time. Even in this era of constant communication and extensive social networking, the pervasiveness of suicide hides behind a void of discussion on its cause and effect. There remains a stigma associated with what is one of our most preventable fatalities.


To some degree, the absence of discussion allows suicide to proceed unchecked. Worse, the dearth of public dialogue has created a lack of information on how to recognize its attendant risks and mitigate its prevalence

Yet, it should not be so.

In 2008 2,723 Floridians died by suicide -- more than HIV-related deaths (1,746) and more than twice the number of homicides (1,211). The rate among elderly people is unacceptably high and the rate among military personnel and veterans higher yet. The devastation of suicide impacts families throughout our state, with each life lost visiting an unimaginable measure of pain and suffering on the loved ones left behind.

Suicide is a complex social phenomenon, with more than 90 percent of suicides associated with mental illnesses and/or substance use.
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Break the silence on suicide