Every 17 Minutes

by Stephanie Anne Dispoto

Today, I decided to do a project: For 17 minutes, I concentrated on my surroundings; the sound of the rain falling outside; the cars driving past our home; the sounds of my children playing in their room. I observed. Listened. When my 17 minutes were up, I felt sad. Why?

Because, in the United States, every 17 minutes, someone, somewhere, commits suicide.

Man has been plagued by suicide for thousands of years. It is a topic that cannot be ignored. It is a major cause of death among our young people. We used to think it was something that happened in someone else’s family. We whispered about it so as not to be overheard. Authors used suicide as the ultimate human tragedy for storybook heroes and heroines, but not as a real-life occurrence. It was reserved for fiction.

Suicide is the ultimate human tragedy. It happens to the senior class president, the CEO of a well-known corporation, the girl who just broke up with her boyfriend and now doesn’t have a date for her senior prom, as well as the neighbor down the street who has one to many cocktails before dinner time.

Why don’t people talk about suicide?

The main reason people don’t talk about it is because of the stigma. It’s a topic that has a long history of being taboo—something that should just be forgotten, kind of swept under the rug. And that’s why people keep dying. Suicide is so misunderstood by most people, so the myths are perpetuated. And the taboo prevents people from getting help, and prevents society from learning more about suicide.

Remember the saying, “knowledge is power”?

Researchers have long struggled to understand why people kill themselves. Most agree that people who commit suicide usually do so when they are already in a stressful situation—often referred to as a “risk factor”—and something happens to trigger the act. Risk factors for suicide can include depression, drug and alcohol dependency and a history of sexual abuse, to name a few.

Depression is the most serious. It can distort reality and create a feeling of hopelessness. Imagine being trapped in a cave or a tunnel that runs only from our constant pain to somewhere near hell, with no exit to heaven and no exit to joy. We begin to think that there is no relief and that this pain will never end. Tomorrow will be the same, or worse. Options to help solve our problems are rejected as having no merit, until it seems there is no possible solution. Except one.

Death.

Suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problems.

We may not be able to solve all the problems, but we need to make the effort and try.

Let us be silent no longer.

If you, or someone you know needs to talk with someone regarding suicide, please call:

1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) National Hotline