Skip to main content

Chronic Illness and Suicide (repost)

As part of World Suicide Prevention Day, we wanted to repost our entry from May 2013 on chronic illness and suicide. This is a tough topic to talk about but one that needs more attention since it is 100% preventable and the 10th leading cause of death for people in the United States. Our hope is that by talking about it, we can be a resource to those who are struggling. Only half of people struggling with major depression reach out for help, but treatment is 80-90% effective! Please share with your friends and loved ones and encourage them to get help. 

Chronic illness is complicated. When one is newly diagnosed, there is a challenge of learning how to explain your illness to others, and learn who to let in on your journey of ups and downs. Here are some of the common reactions we get when we see clients who are newly diagnosed with an illness, trying to navigate a world of stigma and shame. "Why would anyone want to hear about my illness? And what's the point of talking about it- either way I have to deal with it and I don't want pity. I hate burdening my loved ones. What if people change how they think of me? What if people ask embarrassing questions or have judgmental reactions?" 

Honestly, these are all valid concerns! We spend time talking with clients about each of their questions and also encourage them to tell people who are safe, and to only disclose what they are comfortable with. We also know that not everyone benefits from a support group, and that everyone reacts differently to their diagnosis. Some may want to externally process every detail of their illness with many loved ones, some may keep things completely private, and then there are people in the middle. 



One thing we know, regardless of who you tell, is that chronic illness is not easy, and is a lifelong challenge that should not be done alone. An amazing organization is out there called the Great Bowel Movement. Their mission is to help patients embrace their disease, be proud of their experience, and spread awareness throughout their communities. We at Oak Park Behavioral Medicine are proud to know the founders, and are encouraged at just how many people are choosing to wear their "Ask me" shirts in order to diminish the stigma there is about illness, just by starting conversations with people. What a simple, yet incredible idea! 



One person who did not openly talk much about his illness was Internet pioneer and activist Aaron Schwartz, and a Rolling Stone article briefly mentioned his ulcerative colitis and described it as "a condition that would embarrass and plague him for the rest of his life." He was a well-known blogger and did not talk about his illness much, and when he committed suicide this year (despite being part of a well-known lawsuit), it made me stop to think about what role chronic illness has in suicide. Does living with a chronic illness put you at higher risk for suicide? What toll does hiding embarrassing symptoms day after day from others take on someone? I am not implying that everyone needs to blog about their illness, as suicide is much more complicated. But I am suggesting that social support and openness about your illness may help prevent depression and suicidal ideation



Its not something people talk about very often, but its something that needs to have light shed on it. Chronic pain is a known risk factor for suicide. In a recent study, it was found that significant predictors of suicidal ideation was both distress in interpersonal relations and self-perceived burden to others. 

Another study found physical illness constitutes a significant risk factor for suicide, independent of psychiatric and socio-economic factors. This same article states that previous epidemiological studies have indicated an increased suicide risk associated with cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, myocardial infarction, and allergy. 

So in order to bring awareness to this important issue, we are beginning the discussion. We encourage you to speak up. Dial 911 or a suicide hotline if you are having suicidal thoughts. Reach out if you are struggling. Push through the hopelessness and depression, and let someone know how you feel. Call a loved one if you need help. And when necessary, enlist a professional to guide you along the way. You may be surprised how letting someone into your darkness can be helpful and give you hope. You are not alone. 



Popular posts from this blog

So You Have IBD During a Pandemic

Hey! What's going on? Been pretty boring over here in Chicago. Ok I don't need to elaborate on what the hell is going on in the world. We are being bombarded with information - some accurate, a lot inaccurate - about this pandemic. It's very easy to become completely overwhelmed by it all. We've been forced, pretty damn quickly, to completely overhaul our way of life for the greater good. To reduce the strain on our healthcare system of the sick and dying. And us humans are generally bad with rapid, monumental change that we really don't have a lot of say in. Our little reptilian brains do what they're supposed to do (prime us for fight or flight or freeze) but our advanced "thinking" parts of our brain have to interject with all sorts of unhelpful thoughts, thereby sending some of us off the rails. Before we start, turn off the news. Seriously. In the days following 9-11 we found people who consumed more 24-hour news channel information were mor

Psychosocial aspects of having an ostomy

This past Saturday, Tiffany and I had the honor of speaking at the United Ostomy Associations of America's Regional Midwest conference. I was assigned the task of speaking to the patients, and Tiffany addressed the partners or caregivers. I wanted to share with you some of the highlights from my talk. I only had an hour for my session, and with about 100 people in the room, it was not nearly enough time. I love bullet points, so here you go: We are all different! Every ostomate is different and not one size fits all for the emotional/mental aspect either. Who had months to talk about an ostomy and weigh pros/cons? Who was this a more sudden decision for? Who had cancer? Who had IBD? Something else? Who had an ileostomy? colostomy? urostomy? Who has a temporary? Permanent? Multiple temporaries? What age where you when you got your ostomy? Under 20, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60+ Who was single when they got their ostomy? With a serious partner when they had it? Some find a stom

IBD & Medical Trauma

Medical trauma is such an under-recognized issue for the chronnically ill. It's a hard topic to talk about because it can seem like we are pointing fingers at healthcare workers. Maybe that's why there are only, now, 4 studies on the topic in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). If you are someone who treats people with IBD please know I am not here to demonize or criticize. I am both a patient and a GI psychologist. I know the medical system from both sides. I know how messed up and broken it is. But ignoring this or rationalizing it away as only affecting a few folks is wrong. So let's talk about it. Post-traumatic stress (PTS) is the term we use for medical trauma due to technicalities in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTS can be less severe that full on PTSD, or it can be full on PTSD. Regardless, the symptoms are identical: Feeling hypervigilant/on-edge (increased