TV personality Anthony Bourdain took his own life Friday.
Three days earlier, handbag designer Kate Spade also died by suicide.
Their deaths highlight the growing epidemic of mental illness. A new CDC report shows U.S. suicide rates increased by more than 30% since 1999. Keith Miller, Founder of Keith Miller & Associates Counseling in DC and Bethesda sheds some light on the spike in suicides.
"If I was to speculate why the suicide rates are up, I would say access to mental health care and counseling service is a big problem. Insurance doesn't cover as much as it should and there's a stigma. People feel like they shouldn't have to go get counseling," said Miller.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention said on average, there are 123 suicides per day.
Some of the warning signs you should look out for are:
1. Social isolation
- On social media
- Or among family members
2. Life stresses; unemployment or money problems
3. A feeling of hopelessness
"I think people are going undiagnosed and symptoms compound and get worse. Depression can be masked by anxiety. You can be a really high functioning person - a workaholic.In our culture, especially in DC, some of our symptoms which we may attribute to the stress of work, when, really underlying, it could be depression," said Miller.
Connecting with people is a start.
"No one has to save a life. It's not that dramatic on everyday occasions. It's small connections. It is someone willing to make eye contact over the counter with maybe a stranger or someone you have an acquaintance with or a friendship with, but it's really a transactional thing. Our culture has a high rate of transactional interactions, especially with social media, so any time we can put our phones away and talk to people face to face we are going to see our mental health resiliency go way up."
Symptoms of depression are treatable. Lifeline provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day for anyone in distress or crisis.
The suicide prevention hotline phone number: 1-800-273-8255.
