Suicide is Not 'Unavoidable'

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Dr. John Campo is chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Everyone has their share of bad days, but when feelings such as worthlessness, helplessness, or hopelessness become predominant in everyday life, there may be a more serious issue at hand.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental illness is responsible for more disability than any other specific illness in developed countries, with about 25 percent of all U.S. adults suffering from some sort of mental illness and nearly 50 percent of adults experiencing at least one mental illness during their lifetime. Depression, in particular, is a whole-body source of suffering and disability that can alter the way a person thinks, feels, and acts. Although deceptively common, depression is often tragically linked to suicide.

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In fact, within the past decade, suicide rates in the United States significantly increased after a previous decade of decline. It's not clear why this is, but it's probably not just from one reason. And that's the challenge presented by suicide — it's a multifaceted problem that requires multifaceted solutions. The passing of Hollywood icon Robin Williams recently shed light on how profoundly depression can affect an individual's life. Williams, arguably one of America's favorite actors, killed himself in his own home after a lifelong struggle with depression, drug addiction and alcoholism, complicated by the recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

At face value, not many people would have guessed that he had suffered so terribly and for so long. A revered actor, he endeared himself to the world, not just by virtue of his comic genius, but also by his warmth and sweetness of character. While his death seems especially cruel in reminding us that mental illness has the potential to undermine anyone, it also creates an opportunity to share the news that depression is highly treatable and that suicide is preventable.

Often feeling depressed, down, sad, angry or irritable.
Loss of interest and pleasure in activities formerly enjoyed.
Noticeable increase or decrease in appetite or weight, not attributable to dieting or deliberate effort.
Noticeable change in sleep pattern, such as fitful sleep, difficulty falling or staying asleep, early morning awakening, or sleeping more than usual.
Fatigue or loss of energy.
Being noticeably slowed down or agitated in thinking or behavior.
Inappropriate or excessive feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
Diminished ability to concentrate or make decisions.
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.

Because each patient dealing with depression is unique, treatment must be individualized. This is especially true when "first line" treatments, such as psychotherapy or an antidepressant, alone are not successful. In such circumstance, a careful evaluation for potential medical causes of depression can be helpful, and it is often useful to combine modern psychotherapy and antidepressant medication, as science tells us that the combination of medication and psychotherapy is typically superior to either treatment alone.

Here at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center, we offer treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), as well as a modern, safe and effective version of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Depressed individuals who are discouraged by lack of progress need to understand that promising treatments are available, and that the persistence of patients and doctors is most often rewarded with success.