Can We Catch Suicide?

Why does the word suicide seem to make people want to run for the hills? Is it because if we openly recognize that every six seconds someone dies from suicide in the United States, then everyone will decide to cope with their pain by taking their own life too? Can we actually catch suicide or cause other’s to die from suicide if we use the “S” word?

The six degrees of separation theory (also known as the human web) refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth. Since one suicide death directly impacts six people, meaning one step away from six people who knew the person that died by suicide, then how many steps is each of us from being touched by suicide?

I’m one step away from knowing a person who died of suicide: my father. I was once among the human web of secret closet survivors of suicide. My father died on October 13, 1979 of asphyxiation. I came out publically two years ago with my memoir CROSSING 13. Since then almost everyone I’ve known or have met is one or two steps away from a suicide death. Although alarming, I also realized that I’m not unique in my grief or experience as a suicide survivor after all.

So why does everyone keep pretending as if suicide doesn’t happen and is the ultimate taboo in our society? I believe the only way to prevent this death is for all of us to come out of the shadows and start talking about the "S" word! So I’ve started this blog to do just that – talk about suicide!

I want to know what people truly think about suicide. What are the religious beliefs about suicide? Are we responsible for a loved one's suicide? Why does someone die from suicide? Can we cure suicide? So please share your thoughts, questions and comments with me. And let’s start talking about suicide!