Moutier and many other researchers think that the key to decreasing the American suicide rate is approaching suicide not like a series of nebulous personal tragedies, but like a public-health crisis. That means more training for medical professionals on how to treat suicidal patients, more funding for research into suicide’s causes and preventions, and more education for the public on how to support loved ones who are struggling.
Moutier says it’s unclear exactly why the suicide rate has changed so much, but there are many smaller explanations that add up to paint a larger picture: the economy, harsh cultural expectations, a broken health-care system, and what Moutier referred to as America’s culture of stoicism, which can push people to suffer alone. “We really celebrate self-sufficiency in this culture way too much,” Moutier said.
Because Americans have long been encouraged to keep their mental-health struggles in the shadows, many people lack basic skills for offering someone support. “If you see someone choking or struggling in some way physically, you probably want to offer a hand,” Moultier said. But she pointed out that people often hesitate to do the same when a loved one is struggling with mental illness or suicidal ideation, sometimes out of a simple desire not to embarrass them by asking personal questions.
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