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OP-ED: A Glimmer of Hope as Congress and White House Cross Party Lines to Prevent Suicides

14252917074 5d64a074ef Anthony Bourdain
After the recent suicides of celebrities Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade–symptoms of a broader rise in suicides nationwide–a silver lining is that Congress and the White House last week came together to pass a new law designed to help people suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts more easily access help, including the possible creation of a new phone lifeline that’s easier to remember. The national hotline’s current phone number is difficult to remember (1-800-273-TALK), and moving to an easily-remembered code, similar to 911, can more quickly connect patients specifically with mental health professionals.
For CNN, I wrote about the need for this new law, including background on an episodic struggle with depression I experienced in the early 2000s.
Tragically, I’ve had family and friends who committed suicide. I have struggled with depression due to family estrangement (I wrote about my struggle in The Washington Post), and thankfully was able to get the medical attention I needed to prevent a deeper unraveling.
Many, however, are not as fortunate. America’s suicide rates have risen nearly 30% since 1999, with the Center For Disease Control and Prevention reporting nearly 45,000 people committing suicide in the United States in 2016. What’s more, in 54% of suicide cases in 27 states in 2015, the deceased did not have a known mental health condition.
Many of these individuals suffer in silence. Meanwhile, our social media culture promulgates a glossy image of impossible perfection to which we are all supposed to aspire, and which may contribute to poor mental health and suicide for the fragile among us who strive to attain it. Unsurprisingly, cyberbullying and online gossip fuel a high-octane cycle of negative feedback that may be partly responsible for the spike in American suicides. And given the ever-increasing cyber-centric nature of the world, these sad statistics aren’t likely to taper off.
What I love about this new law is its bipartisan nature. In the midst of an intense election cycle, I was glad to see bipartisan support for this law. As I wrote for CNN, suicide prevention is very important in my home state of Utah, due to high depression rates there, and the law’s lead Republican sponsors were Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah). I also applaud Democratic sponsors Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and President Trump for signing the bill into law.
Now if only we could see a playbook like this for other issues! Criminal justice reform, anyone?
Photo credit: Peabody Awards 
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