September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Yes, a rather morbid topic but one that has become it’s a conversation that has become increasingly necessary as there have been more people in the United States who think about suicide. According to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, for every ONE person who dies by suicide annually, 316 people seriously consider suicide but DO NOT kill themselves.

The health professionals say anyone can struggle with suicide. And no one is immune. Case in point, celebrities. When you think they have it all like rock star Kurt Kobain who took his life in 1994; dancer and hype man on the Ellen show, Stephen “Twitch” Boss (2022), to name a few.

Again you don’t have to be a celebrity, to think suicidal thoughts or a sense of hopelessness or a mental illness. There are regular, ordinary, everyday working people who can experience depression or other mental illness.

GUESTS

Dr. Kevin Marra, Psychiatrist, Director of Medical Services – HopeWay

Alissa Alvarado, Johnson C Smith University student

www.hopeway.org