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| SOS sign near reservoir |
Leanne Bearden was that world traveler, someone with an adventurous spirit who loved life, according to the reports from friends and family. She had been last seen on January 17, 2014, after which the area around Garden Ridge, Texas, where she had lived, was searched expansively. Her body was found on Friday of that week by a man near San Antonio.
Bearden and her husband Josh had been gone 22 months on an adventure that had taken them from Mount Everest to South America. Police report that it appeared that Leanne Bearden had hung herself.
These are the kind of stories that when reported offer many questions not just for the families and friends of the deceased, but also from ordinary people who wonder why someone would commit suicide when they appear to have it all. But suicide is committed by rich and poor people and individuals of all ethnic groups.
According to Psychology Today when someone commits suicide it often leaves friends and family surprised. The question “why” is the first one asked, as people claim they see no signs of depression or any suicide wish. Even when someone leaves a note behind, there still remains confusion in the minds of those left behind, with lingering questions remaining about the why.
Who commits suicide? Experts tell us about 20% of those with recurrent depression end up killing themselves. So depression is a major cause of suicide. It is estimated that half of the people who commit suicide are mentally ill and that there are many more who attempt it and are unsuccessful.
In addition, those who have had a family member commit suicide, are more prone than those without a suicide in the family to take their own lives as well. In addition those with combinations of health problems are even more vulnerable to committing suicide, especially those with depression and a physical illness. When someone faces a physical illness that involves chronic pain, that can add to the depression; and if the depression is major clinical depression, the potential for suicide is particularly great. For the one who commits suicide and has this type of situation of a serious and painful physical malady coupled with deep and lasting sadness, it is the kind of no way out that offers little relief, which is why the person is susceptible to taking his/her own life.
How frequently does suicide occur? Reports estimate the number of people at approximately one million every year in the world. The number of these from the United States is about 30,000. Some say it is the second leading cause of death of people in the age group 14 to 25.
Interestingly enough, experts say, that although friends and family report they are surprised when a loved one commits suicide, most of those individuals who end up killing themselves have told at least one person, according to a psychiatrist who maintains he “hates suicide” but that he understands it. Dr. Charles Raison, who is the mental health consultant for CNN and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona at Tucson, discussed the nature of suicide in some detail in an article by CNN in August 2012.
Dr. Raison maintains that those who commit suicide and have major depression kill themselves because the pain from their mental illness becomes overwhelming. They feel they have no answers and no way out of an ongoing feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. Many continue to have these feelings in spite of medications and talk therapy. When they reach the point where that pain and helplessness becomes too much for them to bear, they commit suicide. The suicide then casts what Dr. Raison explains is a long shadow on the family, with the children in the family more often those who suffer most, as they find the loss especially difficult to understand.
What are some of the signs someone is thinking about suicide? There are a number of behaviors that offer warning signs. These include a diagnosable mental illness such as depression, as mentioned in the previous paragraph. There are also those who may not have clinical depression but for some reason continue to express signs of sadness, hopelessness and irritability. Other signs include changes in appetite, weight, level of activity, or sleep, talking negative about the self and losing interest in usual activities. Sometimes they will give away many of their possessions, develop a sudden interest in personal wills or life insurance or may discuss personal situations from the past in a way that seems as a need to “clear the air.” Any of these signs can mean an individual is contemplating suicide.
And what of the survivors? Experts tell us the pain survivors feel is particularly acute for young people and for the entire family. Grieving can take place over months or even years, as the questions of “why” continue to be raised again and again. Children need counseling especially when this happens, and families need to know the grieving and the feelings are of the nature there is no “get over it” message with a time limit, as the painful event will require adjustment and the ongoing expression of feelings until the individual is able to handle the pain sufficiently for it not to have a permanent, negative effect. The fact someone commits suicide can also appear to be so senseless that feeling becomes part of a pain that can last for a long time, even as the family of a young woman, Leanne Bearden, now mourn an untimely death and an unexplained event that brings a sadness that is difficult to overcome.
