September is Suicide Awareness Prevention Month
The fact that mental dis-ease is a taboo topic is the primary reason that so many people go untreated. This is especially true for Black American males. As September is Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, we are focusing on the hard truth that no one ones to hear, suicide is one of the top ten causes of death. For Black American young men and adolescents, suicide soars to the third-leading cause of death.

Of course, these risk factors alone do not lead to suicide. In combination with changes in brain chemicals called neurotransmitters (with serotonin being the best known), they can lead to suicidal behavior. Like any other disease, it’s the condition that causes suicidal thoughts or behavior that should be treated – not just the symptoms. Being aware saves lives.

Pain Undiscussed
When distressed people think they are disempowered, disenfranchised, disrespected – dissed – they express their dissatisfaction through destructive behavior. They don’t talk about the issues that cause the feeling of being dissed, they talk about the symptoms. The symptoms always center around what another entity has done to them (parent, sibling, job, some one or thing outside of themselves). They believe the strong thing to do is to act as though all is well. Yet, the silence people think of as strength is an impediment to a balanced life. Know the symptoms of distress that can lead to suicide.

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Getting to Happiness – September 2017