The
world reacted in shock when actor and comedian Robin Williams took his own life
in 2014. In reality, suicide kills one person every 40 seconds, yet it is
rarely addressed in church. It’s time we broke the silence, says Will van der
Hart.
I
collected all the medications I was on, including others in the bathroom
cabinet, and overdosed on a large quantity of medication and alcohol. I told
nobody. I just wanted to be away from the world.’
In
2010, Christian health care worker Tim James nearly became the 5,609th person
to commit suicide in the UK that year. Thankfully, he was resuscitated after his
wife found him unconscious at their family home.
Statistical
suicide trends place Tim in a high-risk category, not just because he has
struggled with depressive illness, but simply because he is male. While the
number of annual suicides among the UK’s female population halved to 1,391
between 1981 and 2012, the number of men committing suicide each year increased
during that period. In 2012, almost 4,600 men took their own lives.
The
Department of Health’s 2014 Statistical Update on Suicide stated: ‘The majority
of suicides continue to occur in adult males, accounting for approximately
three-quarters of all suicides (77%).’ Recent high-profile suicides among
gifted and successful men such as Welsh footballer and coach Gary Speed in
2011, and actor Robin Williams in 2014, serve to highlight this tragic trend.
AN
UNSPOKEN KILLER
Not cancer, not heart
disease, not motor accidents: suicide is the greatest cause of death among men
aged 20-49 in England and Wales. Yet how often do we hear about suicide in
church? How often do we discuss suicide in our home groups? Church leaders:
when did you last preach a sermon that addressed suicide?
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