(Sept. 11, 2013) “I’m the mother of a bipolar son who took his life at age 40. His name was Scott. At age 27, without warning, Scotty was transformed into a different person,” writes mother Dottie Pacharis about the loss of her son to severe mental illness. “He became . . . out-of-control, psychotic. He no longer required sleep. He became extremely religious.”
Pacharis isn’t the only mother to suffer the loss of a child.
Suicide accounts for approximately 29,000 deaths each year in the United States. About 5,000 or more of those who commit suicide have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Studies indicate that most of these individuals, like Scotty, were not receiving adequate psychiatric treatment at the time of their death, and adequate psychiatric treatment could have saved many of those lives.
Whether you or your loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, the more you know – about the laws where you live, the treatment options available, the people who can make a difference in a crisis, and strategies other families have found successful – the better prepared and more powerful you will be if an emergency arises.
This week is National Suicide Prevention Week, which helps raise awareness of this preventable loss of life. Resources exist to help, including our own psychiatric crisis app. Open this link on your smartphone to get help for a loved one in a crisis.
Other resources include:
- American Association of Suicidology
- Kristin Brooks Hope Center
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- National Hopeline: 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
- SPAN USA
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Read more about suicide and mental illness here.
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