Did you know?
- Over 20 million people in the US suffer from depression each year
- 1 in 4 young adults will suffer an episode of depression before age 24
- Women are 2x more likely to suffer from depression than men
- 70% of adults in the US have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their lives
- Up to 20% of those people go on to develop PTSD
- More than 13 million people have PTSD at any given time
- About 3% of Americans suffer from Bipolar Disorder
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for ALL ages
- Every 12.3 minutes there is one death by Suicide and it takes the lives of 38,000 Americans every year
- For every 25 suicide attempts, there is one death by suicide
I recently read a quote, it said "The sad thing is, Suicide doesn't end the pain. It just passes it on to someone else." That struck a cord. I work in the field of saving lives, strangers lives actually. I have seen people on the worst day of their lives. The worst day of their families lives; because they just lost their father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandfather, grandmother, cousin, lover, or friend. And the person that didn't make it, they would have given anything for the outcome to be different. People go through endless treatments, surgeries, try countless medications to heal their bodies, to try and live the fullest life possible. They aren't ready to go, they aren't ready for their life to be over, they haven't finished living.
So when someone chooses that route, the route to end it all forever, it's a little rough. They thought there life just wasn't worth living anymore.
I have seen those closest to me suffer from depression. Depression because things in their life suck. Suck is a good word, and frankly a lot of stuff down right sucks. They were dealt a bad hand. They lost people close to them, they have other health issues, they had their heart broken, they lost their job, they've had some pretty lousy luck. Things just suck, things in their life just sucks. But what sucks more is losing someone. It sucks. One day they are making you laugh and the next day they are gone. How could we have not seen this coming? How did we miss this? Simple, we are so caught up in our own lives we don't notice what is going on around us. It's a common saying, "but they seemed so happy". I think we all get pretty good at pretending, acting like what we think other people want to see. So just because they seem "happy" doesn't mean they are.
In a house full of people, how did you miss that? How did you not see that person suffering? I missed it, I missed it a few times. I would love to know the reasons, I would love to know the answer to my burning question. Why? Why did it have to end that way? Why did you not see another way out? Unfortunately, I will never know that answer.
This world is full of hate, full of judgment, and full of lies. I encourage you to look at those around you. Please don't ignore the signs. If you or someone you know is thinking of ending their life, please seek help. You are not ending the suffering, you are causing those who love you to suffer. You are making children fatherless or motherless. You are making parents childless. You are leaving scars on the hearts of the those you love. You are taking away your laughter from the world. You are ridding the world of your smile. You are running away. You are leaving, and not saying goodbye. Your life is worth living, your life matters.
This post is in memory of all those who have lost their battle with depression. May they rest in the most peacefulness. May their infectious spirit be remembered. May we never forget their presence in our lives. Uncle Jim, this ones for you. I hope you found the peace you were looking for.
