The Pilot on suicide

The Virginian Pilot concluded a three-part series today on the issue of suicide. Entitled “Out of the Darkness,” segment one dealt with the secret tragedy and provided stark statistics on its occurrance. I was surprised to learn that suicides outpace murders.

In 2004, the most recent year of complete records, there were nearly twice as many suicides as homicides. Nationwide, 17,357 people were killed by another person; 32,439 killed themselves.

Suicide affects all kinds of people.

The typical victim is a white, middle-aged man, but no one is immune. Men kill themselves more often than women, but women attempt it more. Two decades ago, rates spiked among blacks. Seniors and teens are particularly vulnerable. Surprisingly enough, so are the rich.

Part two of the series appeared yesterday and covers the lethal legacy of suicide.

Research shows that the shock wave from a suicide deeply impacts an inner circle of at least six people – or 5 million Americans over the past 25 years. Those survivors are then five times more likely to kill themselves.

The last segment talked about the survivors.

The conversation moves on. They lay bare their sorrows and assure each other that the suicides were not their fault. They learn that their loved ones did not have a character flaw but a sickness that robbed them of any notion of the wreckage they would cause. They find comfort in new phrases. Their lost ones “completed” suicide; only criminals “commit” something.

I found the entire series enlightening and well-written. I applaud The Pilot for taking on this once-taboo subject and shining light on it.