I’m sure this will cause some blowback shortly, but in my less-than-humble opinion, we are doing a disservice when we cover up the cause of death in a suicide.
I’m not asking for the grisly details. But instead of dancing around the topic, or putting out nonsense like “He died unexpectedly” we should face that fact that one of our fellow humans had lost all hope and ended his/her life by their own hand.
Why? Because when we see that squared away sailors, respected cops, vibrant second grade teachers, ice cream truck delivery drivers, and the clergy all have issues that drag them into the grave early, then we can start to address the mental health issues that led to the death.
For some reason we think that talking around the cause of death is more kind, more gentle, and more polite. Nonsense. Depression and mental health issues are a deadly disease just like heart attacks and cancer. If you realized how common they are, perhaps we would do more to treat them appropriately.
800-273-8255 is the number to call if you’re thinking of harming yourself. Don’t wait. Call that number, or 911, and get some help immediately.
I’d really rather not read that you died unexpectedly.
End of rant.
