Suicide is on the rise in Tarrant County. We’ve got to talk about how to prevent it

Almost 50,000 Americans died by suicide in 2018, making it the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. By comparison, in 2016 (the most recent year this information was available) in the U.S., 41,487 women died from a condition we hear much more about, breast cancer.

Over the last 20 years, the suicide rate in Tarrant County has increased 55%. That’s 14% faster than the population rate. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in Texas for young people ages 10 to 24, and almost 18% of Texas high school students reported seriously thinking about suicide.

Suicide is a crisis in this country. Why do we remain silent about it?

My daughter Jordan Elizabeth Harris died by suicide in 2012 at age 22. Jordan exhibited signs of someone contemplating suicide, but I didn’t know what to look for. Nor did it ever cross my mind that she might seriously consider it.

I’ve learned a lot about suicide since then — most importantly, that it is preventable. My husband, Tom, and I formed the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation in 2014 to provide suicide-prevention training and programs to residents of Tarrant County and surrounding communities.

One of those programs, the Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer based suicide prevention program for students, is currently in 85 schools in Tarrant County thanks to the foundation’s support.

In addition, the foundation funds critical research projects such as those of Dr. Cynthia Claassen at John Peter Smith Behavioral Health who seeks to create an algorithm that could help predict suicidal behavior.

Would you know how to recognize the signs of a person who is struggling with suicidal thoughts? For example, a verbal sign might be a statement such as, “Everyone will be better off without me, I’m such a burden.” A nonverbal sign could be the loss of interest in hobbies or giving away possessions.

Would you know what questions to ask if you recognized similar behaviors? The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation offers free monthly suicide-prevention training sessions as well as trainings to prevent suicide in the workplace. In an hour or less, you could learn what signs to look for, what to ask if you recognize the signs in a loved one or friend and where to go for help.

Suicide is a scary topic. Part of our mission is to normalize conversations about suicide and thereby erase the stigma around it.

Twenty-five years ago people discussed Breast Cancer in hushed tones. Now, NFL players periodically wear pink shoes in support of awareness and research.

We are doing our best to have the same effect on the subject of suicide. Learn more about who we are and what we do at jordanharrisfoundation.org.

And if you believe someone you know is considering suicide, call MHMR of Tarrant County’s crisis hotline at 817-335-3022.

Our goal is a world where suicide is never the choice.

This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 8:09 AM with the headline "Suicide is on the rise in Tarrant County. We’ve got to talk about how to prevent it."