Sadness of Celebrity Suicide & Hope

Incredibly sad is the news that in a matter of days, two revered, loved, and famous celebrities committed suicide.  This morning I was hit by discovering that after Kate Spade ended her life, Anthony Bourdain also ended his.  After I prayed for their families, I knew I needed to send out this blog.

Suicide is an incredibly complex issue.  Let me be simple at the risk of sounding reductionistic.  Working in various settings in mental health for around 13 years, I have seen incredible hope bloom out of the desolate landscape of deep, dark depression.  I have seen hope abound where there seems to be no hope. Personally, I have lost a friend, a neighbor, and a fellow college colleague to suicide over 15 years- and those are just the closest to me.  There’s more. It’s so sad.

But there is hope.

How can I say this?  I see it every day. None of us can ever fully control even our own best intentions for ourselves, let alone outcomes for others.  Even as a counselor, I don’t have any more ultimate power to stop someone from committing suicide. Treatments that work for most are readily available.  Treatment is often very effective.  Sometimes several tries and different types of programming are needed.  But you must take a step.  Maybe it is to help, maybe it is to seek help.

Things that don’t work:

• Pretending suicidal thoughts don’t exist.
• Writing suicidal thoughts/threats off as “dramatic.”
• Stigmatizing depression or suicidal thoughts.
• Minimizing the suicidal person or jumping to conclusions about what it means.

Things that do work:

• Temporary safety measures (911, hospital, friends/support, crisis line), to help a person hopefully address underlying areas.
• In treatment, digging into underlying biological, psychological, social, and spiritual underpinnings for suicidal thoughts.
• Develop further understanding intro triggers, problems, and options for help and hope.

If you or someone you love struggles, please seek help!  My industry’s entire focus is helping people.  Please call 911 or go to the hospital if your life- or someone else’s- might be in danger.  There is no shame in this. Reach out to a therapist who is experienced in treating your concerns.  May you find hope for yourself or others- hope that runs deeper than the saddest and darkest moment.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call 1-800-273-8255

www.justinkhughes.com/resources
Look under “Crisis” or find other helpful resources.

Sincerely,
Justin