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Talking About Suicide

John Brawley on Flickr Creative Commons

Yesterday marked the beginning of National Suicide Prevention Week and tomorrow is World Suicide Prevention Day, both intended to call attention to a serious public health issue.

We were recently shocked by the suicide of a 15-year-old Greenwich High School student after his first day of school.

But the numbers prove this is not an isolated incident. Every 15 minutes, someone dies by suicide in the U.S. For every one of the almost 40,000 people who died this year, there are many more who think about, plan, or attempt suicide.

And, it’s also the third-largest cause of death for adolescents and young adults, claiming almost 5,000 lives of those aged ten to 24.

Some think that talking about suicide is taboo, or maybe even unhelpful. But our panelists think talking about it can help break the stigma surrounding suicide.

GUESTS:

  • Dr. Harold Schwartz - Psychiatrist-in-chief and Vice President of Behavioral Health, Hartford Hospital and The Institute of Living; Director, Department of Psychiatry
  • Dr. Lisa Namerow - Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Director, Consultation Services to Connecticut Children's Medical Center, at Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital
  • Andrea Duarte - Behavioral Health Program Manager at Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services and Co-Chair of the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board
  • Marisa Porco - President, Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation

Emily Boushee helped to produce this show.

Tucker Ives is WNPR's morning news producer.
Catie Talarski is Senior Director of Storytelling and Radio Programming at Connecticut Public.
Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows.

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