The 21st: Combatting Suicide Stigma by 21st Show

Suicide is one of the top ten leading causes of death for Americans. Federal data shows that the suicide rate has risen sharply over the past 15 years, and may be contributing to the surprising rise in the U.S.death rate in the past year.

Earlier this year, Eleni Pinnow lost her sister Aletha to depression and suicide. She joined us to share why she is going public about how Aletha died. 

Eleni's family's "pie-in-the-sky" dream is to have a community-wide discussion about mental health. #The21stShow pic.twitter.com/m0WbPaSPeW

"Depression is really terrible. It got to the point for my sister that she couldn't see a way out." -Eleni Pinnow #SuicidePrevention

We also spoke with Kim Bryan, whose son Samuel Blisset took his own life at age 19.

"We couldn't continue to keep the secret, we needed to be open" -Kim Bryan #The21stShow #SuicidePrevention pic.twitter.com/GX2v3tGcAX

We also heard from Joe Omo-Osagie, a counselor at Parkland Community College who lost his brother to suicide several years ago, and Sue Spears, the Interim Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Illinois. They answered questions about how to best support loved ones who are battling depression and suicidal thoughts.

90% of suicides happen to people with mental illnesses. -Sue Spears, National Alliance on Mental Illness. #The21stShow

If you or someone you know needs help right away, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255.

The 21st: Combatting The Stigma of Suicide; Sharing Stories with the Human Library Project

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