Stress linked to 2020 increases suicide risks.
Not every person who plans to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is the same, said Sgt. Kevin Briggs, a former California Highway Patrol officer who helped people experiencing mental crisis come away from the bridge alive.
In the decade he was assigned the bridge detail, Briggs typically rode a motorcycle, and he would stop 10-15 yards away from the person, and gently walk toward them on the 4-foot pedestrian lane. He would first raise his right hand and ask their permission to talk. “Hi, I’m Kevin,” he’d say. “Is it OK if I come up to talk to you for a while?”
He’d wait for an answer. “It really sets a good tone for the event; you can’t try to grab them, but you want to go up there and develop a rapport,” he said. “Find out what’s going on with them. Ask how did they get to this point today; why do they want to end their life? See if you can get their story.”
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., with more than 43,000 Americans dying by suicide in 2018, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. That same year, there was an estimated 1.4 million attempted suicides.
A typical bridge intervention lasted about 20-30 minutes, but the longest one was more than eight hours, Briggs said.
“I try to get them to come back over the rail on their own — that’s what I’m looking for,” he said. “I want them to want to live, and then I want to take them to a local hospital where the mental health folks can come in.”
Dr. Jon Stevens, chief of outpatient services and psychiatrist at The Menninger Clinic, said Americans are simultaneously experiencing the “Four Horsemen of Mass Trauma”: an upcoming political election; a deadly pandemic; economic fallout from the pandemic; and an increase in racial tensions.
People react differently to stressors, and people who are vulnerable to psychiatric issues have experienced a marked increase in symptoms due to the stress of 2020.
“In my office, people with anxiety disorders are experiencing a frequency in panic attacks; people with depression are experiencing more hopelessness, despair and thoughts of suicide,” Stevens said. “Those with bipolar disorder are more irritable; people with schizophrenia are more isolated and paranoid; and those with autism can be more aggressive or agitated because their routines have been disrupted.”
There has been a steady rise in suicide for years, especially for youth between the ages of 15 and 19, but also for medically ill individuals older than 65 and people who have lost a spouse, Stevens said. This year could be much different for those experiencing loss because of COVID-19, he added.
“With tens of thousands dying from COVID, these are major losses in people’s lives,” he said. “There’s a loss of stability and mobility, and those are other factors that can increase suicide risk (in vulnerable populations).”
The world has a crisis of connection, according to Kira Kai Kirton, a licensed clinical social worker for Legacy Community Health. Most of her conversations with clients revolve around their difficulty “finding connections in a time of disconnection.”
“To me, the mind is a problem-solving machine. When people are under high levels of stress, sometimes suicide is one of the solutions the brain can throw out there,” Kirton said. “One of the main things we can do to prevent suicide is to intervene in that moment.”
Many people struggle with suicidal ideation and never have a suicide attempt, she said. But these people often feel intense shame by their thoughts and tend to hide them from family, friends and co-workers.
Talking about suicide is uncomfortable, Kirton said, but it’s important to not run away if someone you know and love says they are thinking about it. Do your own research, and have a list of online resources handy if you suspect one of your loved ones is struggling, she said.
Eighty percent of people who die by suicide gave warning of their intentions to people around them, Stevens said. If you’re not sure if they are talking in ambiguous terms, ask them about it, he added.
“If your friends are talking to you, my advice is to take it seriously,” Kirton said. “Be genuine, listen to them and try not to show shock or disapproval. Avoid trying to explain away the person’s feelings because this can devalue someone’s experience and make them feel more isolated than they were at the beginning of the conversation.”
Teens are in the largest group at risk for suicide. For every one teen suicide, there can be as many as 200 attempts that follow in the school or area, Stevens said. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for teens after unintentional injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Between 2009 and 2019, suicide attempts increased overall, and among female, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Black and 12th-grade students, according to the CDC’s 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
Nearly 20 percent of students reported having seriously considered suicide, according to the survey. More than 46 percent of teens who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual said they have considered suicide, as well as 54.2 percent of those who have had sex with people of the same sex or with both sexes.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is a higher rate of “suicidal ideation, plans, attempts and attempts requiring medical care” in transgender adolescents than in cisgender teenagers. Trans teens also have a higher rate of nonsuicidal selfinjury, according to a University of Pittsburgh study of more than 2,000 teenagers.
The suicide rate can decrease with more outreach, honest conversations and possible treatment, Stevens said. Sometimes, that means a therapist or medication, but not always.
“It’s about access and being aware enough to know when a person is close to the edge. It’s earlier detection,” he said.
“With tens of thousands dying from COVID, these are major losses in people’s lives. There’s a loss of stability and mobility, and those are other factors that can increase suicide risk (in vulnerable populations).”
Dr. Jon Stevens, The Menninger Clinic