I wake up the morning of June 5, not sure whether to dread the day or enjoy it. I didn’t get up fast. I took my time. While eating breakfast, I read that Kate Spade has died by suicide. It was so surreal.
Charles and Kate Spade not only share cause of death, they share a suicide death anniversary date, June 5. Like Charles, I believe Kate Spade also suffered from depression.
They also died by the same method. And both were creative geniuses.
Charles would not have had any idea who she was. He was not into women’s handbags, wallets and accessories. Not surprising. He would not have thought they had anything in common either. Unfortunately, they did and that’s the intense emotional pain that made them feel the world would be better off without them.
The sad thing is Kate Spade left behind a daughter who will, like us, struggle with this cause of death.
Later on Wednesday, June 5, 2018, I noticed traffic for certain pages on this website was way up due to people looking on Google for ways to die–pages I write for the specific purpose of ranking on Google to intervene and possibly save a life.
The death of someone famous is often a trigger for vulnerable individuals. That’s why it’s important for headlines not to include specific method of death and have published resources. Kurt Cobain’s death by suicide showed us that people will reach out for help if you put the information in front of them.
This can’t be something we talk about for a week.
Because from 1999 to 2016, Suicide rates increased in nearly every state, and half of the states saw suicide rates go up more than 30 percent.
Suicide rates in Virginia increased 17%.
There is no right time to have this conversation. The time to have it is right now.
There is not an inappropriate time of day, no wrong venue, or group that should not be educated on this topic. So let’s make the conversation about suicide more commonplace before suicide as a cause of death goes mainstream.
Incredibly sad ,… particularly when suicide and mental illness are so often brushed under the rug…. families don’t dare have these uneasy conversations….when then? The stigma needs to stop and that is done by honest open truth seeking gut wrenching deep discussion, education and understanding that this is not as weak character flaw…it is a Disease. Can’t ignore the Dragon in the living room anymore or magically wish it away. Elizabeth
Thank you for that Elizabeth. Well said.
Man. Had a grief wave hearing about Bourdain’s suicide this morning. We watched him all the time. Always a nugget of diversion from grieving Daniel’s death, even though I wouldn’t touch half the exotic foods he ate :-). Another example of someone who seemed to have everything going for him on the outside. Hits so close to home. R.I.P Anthony.
Yeah. I bet it does given that
Daniel was on his way to greater fame. It hits me, too. So many for June—a month not typical for suicide
I can’t believe this, two days later….
I know. And the new statistics too.
I am frustrated by the media’s portrayal of individuals who commit suicide… I feel that this only supports the stigma of mental illness and hides its presence and prevalence. Mental illness is the cause of death; suicide is a means – a method. Likewise, Anthony Bourdain’s suicide was caused by either a mental health issue, ie, depression, and/ or substance use disorder/ addiction. Obituaries commonly state that the deceased “struggled w/ or lost their battle w/ cancer” as a cause of death, but not when mental health is the cause. (Maybe I haven’t articulated this properly, but hope you understand.)
I know. If we can get them to use died by suicide instead of committed and post the suicide hotlines it would help. They are doing that with the chef’s articles. We need to tackle the causes whic now appear to be also related to isolation and trauma