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Signs of Suicidal Thoughts: How to Help

Someone Who Is Struggling

By Michael Valdes

Nearing the end of my career

in suicidology, I think I can
now say what has been on

my mind in as few as five
words: Suicide is caused by

psychache. Psychache refers
to the hurt, anguish, soreness,

aching, psychological pain in
the psyche, the mind. Suicide

occurs when the psychache
is deemed by that person to

be unbearable” (Dr. Edwin
S. Schneidman, Suicide as

Psychache, page 52)

Imagine an epidemic afflicting your child, teenager, or young adult causing mortality and suffering at a
greater rate than cancer, heart disease, or homicide. Imagine the lengths that a parent or loved would go
to, including seeking the best available care and treatment, whether it is found in a pill, injection, or med-
ication. Imagine the lengths that a society would go to spread awareness of such an epidemic, including
news coverage and public campaigns. However, this affliction is more than imagination and is a reality for
young people and often bypasses the best known medical and societal interventions. Sadly, this affliction
often goes unnoticed, undiagnosed, unrealized, untreated, and most harmfully un-talked about. Unfortu-
nately for too many of our children, teens, and young adults, this affliction is not only a harsh reality, but
can be entirely prevented. This affliction does not discriminate based on age, racial, social, health, eco-
nomic, political, or gender lines. This affliction is called suicide and the statistics paint a sobering reality of
its destruction.
The Centers for Disease Control (2017) data indicate that: Suicide is the 10thleading cause of death in the
US for all age groups, Suicide is the 2ndleading cause of death for age groups 10-14, 15-24, and 25-34
(see Chart 1, Source: CDC), and everyday approximately 123 Americans die by suicide with one death by
suicide in the US every 12 minutes, among other statistics. For young males, the suicide rate is 4 times
higher than for females (see Chart 2, age 15-19, Source: CDC), with males representing 79% of all US sui-
cides, and is the 8thleading cause of death in men regardless of race. Although there are several gender
differences when it comes to suicidal thoughts, methods, prior and current attempts, and the relevance
of suicide among women is equally significant, the focus of this article will be on examining suicide as it
relates specifically to males.

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