• “Moonshot for Mental Health”
  • About
  • Contact Us:
  • Contact Your Legislators
  • Helpful Links
  • Our Blogs

Cure Mental Health Disease

~ Cure Brain Disease Coalition

Cure Mental Health Disease

Monthly Archives: January 2021

Suicide – Where to Start

31 Sunday Jan 2021

Posted by merisig123 in Mental Health

≈ Leave a comment

Where to start.  Suicide. Who is at risk?  Are there signs? Are there no signs?  Have our prevention initiatives been working?  Or is the suicide rate increasing at epidemic levels? 

These are the questions I, and many others, are asking.  We still do not know what causes this tragedy.  Sometimes, there are known mental illnesses.  Sometimes, there are not.  Sometimes, there are signs.  Sometimes, there are not.  And sometimes, there are unclear ‘possible’ signs, but not what someone would deem necessary of any type of intervention.  So, I ask again, who is at risk?  Do we really want to know?  Do we really want to spend our time and funding to try to stop this epidemic?  

Suicide is defined as the act or instance of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally (Merriam-Webster).  It is described as a person’s self-inflicted violence with the intent to obliterate life, which most of the time culminates into serious physical injuries (CDC, 2015).  Here, my question is, how do we know what was in that person’s mind?  How do we know what a person’s intentions truly are?  There have been many accounts from suicide survivors who have specifically said they didn’t want to die.  They only wanted to stop the pain which had totally engulfed them.   Therefore, the definition should be changed to “the act of taking one’s own life”. (Period)

        Every 40 seconds, a person dies by suicide somewhere in the world, and many more attempt suicide (WHO, 2014). In the young age group of 15-29 year olds, suicide was the second leading cause of death (CDC, 2015).   After 2015, the number was updated to the second leading cause of death in 15-34 year-olds. Now, it has been updated again – to the second leading cause of death in 10-35 year-olds. It is the tenth leading cause of death across all ages (CDC, 2015).  In 2018, 48,344 Americans died by suicide, and there were 1.4 million attempts. Worldwide, 800,000 people died that year by suicide. From these facts and the lack of proper treatment, suicide is now a global health concern.

I’ll ask you this.  If it were your child, your brother or sister, your loved one, would you want to know how to combat it before it’s too late?  If so, then take a crucial step to move forward for research into the scientific causes of suicide.

It’s way past time for us to stop being ‘uncomfortable’ about suicide.  Say the word.  Suicide.  No one wants to, but we must.  Our young people, our sons and daughters, are dying.  They are dying right in front of us, and many times, we don’t even know it’s happening until it’s too late.  Why?  Because of the stigma attached to suicide and to mental disorders.  And because the funding in this area is far lacking of the attention it deserves.

1 out of every 5 Americans experiences a mental health disorder.  Mental = Physical.  Like the heart, lungs, and kidneys, the brain is an organ.  In fact, the brain is the most complex organ in the body.  We need far more research into the areas of mental health diseases and suicide, and all stigma must be removed from those who suffer. 

Research is now being conducted on the effects of genetic components that increase the risk of suicide.  From these findings to date, the research suggests a link to inheritance, and therefore, a predisposition for suicidal ideation. 

According to Utah Suicide Genetics Research Study (USGRS), “Research involving twins and adopted children helped confirm that genetics contribute about 50 percent to suicide death risk. Still, many genetic variants likely play a role. “Many human traits have a significant genetic component,” says Coon. “But unlike Huntington’s disease, which is caused by a single gene, suicide is complicated.” https://healthcare.utah.edu/hmhi/news/2022/anrep-suicide-genetics.php

Where is our public outcry? Where is our Mental Health Moonshot for genetic research? We must let our leaders know that the mental health system is, and has been, failing for a very long time. (It’s not even broken. That would imply that it ever worked at all.) Please contact your legislators for a Mental Health Moonshot, like we began for cancer research over 50 years ago! (Contact information below) https://curementalhealthdisease.com/what-you-can-do/

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Suicide in Depression

30 Saturday Jan 2021

Posted by merisig123 in Mental Health

≈ Leave a comment

 Suicide in Depression

              Of all the known mental disorders, major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent.  Depression affects 15-17% of our population, and 15% of this MDD group are at risk of suicide.  The article referenced at the conclusion of this blog is bringing focus to an evaluation of our main research studies of those with MDD who are at risk for suicide. The goal is for planning effective suicide prevention strategies and therapeutic interventions for clinicians.


                A broad and comprehensive overview has been conducted by using PubMed/Medline for the topics ‘Major Depressive Disorder’ and ‘Suicide’.  I would encourage you to read the article in its entirety as it goes into great depth on many variables involved in suicide in depression. 

                The results, in layperson’s terms, are as follows:   Despite possible pathophysiological factors (changes to the functioning of the brain), which may explain the complexity of suicide in depressed people, scientific evidence has supposed the combination of additional factors.  These factors include genetics, epigenetics, and our internal and external stressors such as interpersonal, professional, financial, and psychiatric disorders.  Other factors that may play a part include our body’s central stress response system, our lipid profile, our biomarkers (molecules that show the presence of disease or dysfunction), and our brain-derived neurotrophic factor (the gene that provides instructions for making a protein found in the brain and spinal cord).

                    In conclusion to this study, suicide is seen to be a very complex and multifaceted phenomenon where many variables come in to play, especially with those experiencing major depressive disorder.  Modern psychiatry needs a much better interpretation of suicide risk.  In addition, we need to be much more careful in our assessment of prevention strategies for those who may be in danger of suicide.

                  Please read the complete article for more information:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340132427_Understanding_the_Complex_of_Suicide_in_Depression_from_Research_to_Clinics

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021

Categories

  • Mental Health

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Website Built with WordPress.com.

Recent Posts

  • A Letter from Naomi Judd
  • Our Mental Health Foundation
  • Largest Genetic Map of Psychiatric Disorders So Far
  • 988 Crisis Response System
  • President Biden’s Strategy to Address Mental Health Crisis

Recent Comments

merisig123 on A Letter from Naomi Judd
Cara Crews on A Letter from Naomi Judd
merisig123 on A Letter from Naomi Judd
Diana Preston on A Letter from Naomi Judd
merisig123 on Genetic Testing in Neurodevelo…

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021

Categories

  • Mental Health

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
  • Follow Following
    • Cure Mental Health Disease
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Cure Mental Health Disease
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: