Surviving the stigma?


People who attempt suicide do so for many personal reasons. Rarely, however, do you hear about them.

That’s likely to change as the taboo surrounding suicide attempts gets a new look. Survivors who have banded together via social media say their stories can play an important role in keeping others from the abyss; they are demanding to be heard despite worry that their stories may inspire others to act. The nation’s oldest suicide prevention organization recently voted to recognize this once invisible portion of its membership: the roughly 1 million Americans who try to end their lives each year, outnumbering the 38,000 who succeed.   —Diane Richard, writer, April 16

Image: Michael Appleton for the New York Times

Source: Benedict Carey, “Suicide Prevention Sheds a Longstanding Taboo: Talking About Attempts,”New York Times,April 14