COLUMBIA, S.C. — September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time when advocates try to raise awareness of this tragedy that affects families and communities. And this year it comes with alarming statistics from Richland County, where recent data shows a significant rise in suicides within the area over the past few years.
"It's shocking," said Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford. "When I actually tallied up the numbers as the coroner, I thought, we have to do something to make the community aware that suicide numbers are on the rise."
New numbers from the Richland County Coroner's Office showed that deaths by suicide in the county increased from 47 in 2022 to 72 in 2023. As of late August, there have already been 48 deaths by suicide in the first eight months of 2024.
"As the coroner, I see the devastation that loved ones who are left behind after a suicide feel," Rutherford said. "They always think, 'Was there something that I could have done to prevent this?' I think if we just allow open, soft spaces for people to share their real feelings and guide them towards mental health resources, we may be able to prevent some of the suicides in our county."
Guiding people to speak openly about mental health and seek help is a mission that suicide prevention advocate Chris Allen takes to heart. Allen said mental health support is just as essential as physical health care, and said the only difference is that mental wounds are often invisible.
"If somebody breaks their arm, the understood process is that you're going to go to the doctor, get an X-ray, and probably be put in a cast for many weeks until it heals. So that's a normal process. It's not stigmatizing," Allen explained. "But with mental health, it's a little bit different. Just because we don’t see it, some people think that it doesn't need immediate care. So we want people to understand that mental health is health."
Allen joined the board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and now serves as the chair and organizer for Columbia's annual "Out of the Darkness Walk," an event dedicated to raising awareness and funds for suicide prevention.
"This is our 20th anniversary for the walk," Allen said. "We have a goal of raising $100,000—the most we've ever raised in a year is about $75,000 to $80,000. But our goal this year is $100,000, and we typically have about 500 or 600 walkers."
The proceeds raised by the Columbia chapter, according to Allen, go to both local and national suicide prevention resources.
"Nationally, the funds go to research focused on suicide prevention, addressing root causes like relationship issues, financial stress, and job or school stress," Allen said. "Locally, we use the funds to provide training to any organization that would like it. We have 'Talk Saves Lives,' which is our central training program, but there are other training programs we offer throughout South Carolina."
This year's walk will once again take place at Columbia Riverfront Park.
"It really is a team effort," Allen said. "Suicide is a multilevel issue, and it requires a multilevel response that has to start at the local level. It has to start with your family and friends."
The walk is scheduled for Sunday, October 20. Registration can be done online or at Riverfront Park on the day of the event.
If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health or suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.