For Eileen Finkenbinder and others touched by suicide, there is unfathomable grief, anger, guilt and other emotional aftershocks.
“There are some dark days, and there are so many questions,” said Finkenbinder, a Carlisle resident who lost her 15-year-old son Britton to suicide on Oct. 25, 2018.
She is not alone in seeking answers.
More than 47,000 people died by suicide in 2019, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making it the nation’s 10th leading cause of death. Suicide and suicide attempts cost the nation $70 billion annually in medical expenses and work-loss costs and exact an immeasurable emotional toll on survivors.
Health experts agree there is no single cause for suicide, but there can be warning signs.
- Talk of suicide, feeling hopeless, having no reason to live, being a burden to others, feeling trapped or unbearable pain.
- Actions such as increased drug or alcohol use, withdrawing from activities, isolating from family and friends, and giving away prized possessions and aggression.
- Displays of depression, anxiety, loss of interest, irritability, humiliation and shame, agitation and anger, relief and sudden improvement.
The National Institutes of Mental Health recommends five steps that anyone can take if they know someone is in emotional pain.
- Ask: “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” Studies show asking at-risk individuals if they are suicidal does not increase suicides or suicidal thoughts.
- Keep them safe: Reduce a suicidal person’s access to highly lethal items or places.
- Be there: Listen. Acknowledging and talking about suicide may in fact reduce rather than increase suicidal thoughts, studies show.
- Help them connect: Share the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number (1-800-273-TALK) and the Crisis Text Line (741741). Help them find a trusted family member, friend, spiritual advisor or mental health professional.
- Stay connected: Stay in touch especially after a crisis.
Access to mental health resources is paramount.
Capital Blue Cross continued its emphasis on mental health by extending cost-sharing waivers through the end of 2021 for members with its Virtual Care benefit, which offers psychiatry and counseling services in addition to standard medical care.
Additionally, the insurer unveiled a behavioral health toolkit for employer groups, a new mental health and wellness page on its corporate website, and it helped bring the Neuroflow app to market. That mobile app helps users improve their mental wellness and better address anxiety, depression and other mental health needs.
Questions still haunt Eileen Finkenbinder. She leans heavily on her faith and help from supportive friends and family to cope in dark times.
Britton was an honors-caliber student athlete, a thoughtful kid who loved pets, cars and racing. His uncanny aptitude for electronics fueled a dream to study electrical engineering in college. There was no grim talk, unusual behavior, jarring mood swings or other warning signs.
“There are people who cry for help,” Eileen said, recalling an encounter she had with a young girl at the first Britton Finkenbinder Memorial Day Race held to raise money for suicide prevention.
“I could see she had scars from slashing,” Eileen said. “I just talked to her. I said, ‘You’re struggling with something here.’ That’s a cry for help. We can save those people.”
For more information about Capital Blue Cross, visit www.capbluecross.com.
This column is sponsored by Capital Blue Cross.
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