March 26, 2010, Buffalo, N.Y. – In recent weeks, we have seen two high-profile cases a successful suicide. Michael Blosil, entertainer Marie Osmond's 18-year-old son, died after jumping from the eighth floor of his L.A. apartment building, and the body of one time child actor Andrew Koenig, know for his role on the the sitcom “Growing Pains”, was found in a Vancouver park following an apparent suicide. Then this past week, family and friends are mourning the loss of two Clarence girls, who committed suicide just days apart. Suicides can preventable if you recognize the warning signs and seek help immediately.

Untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide. Depression is a potentially life-threatening mood disorder that affects up to 12% of the population, or approximately 17.6 million Americans each year. Untreatable depression can cause considerable pain and suffering that can interfere with an individuals functioning, sometimes destroying family and work relationships. Unfortunately, as many as two thirds of people with depression do not realize that they have a treatable illness thus they never seek out treatment. The danger of this is that depression carries a high risk of suicide. Among young people aged 15 to 24, suicide is the third most common cause of death and it is estimated to be the eighth leading cause of death in all age ranges.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Psychiatrist and Associate Medical Director at BryLin Hospitals, says, “the best way to prevent suicide is to know the risk factors and to recognize the warning signs.” Dr. Gupta states that it is important to, “take these signs seriously and know how to respond to them. If someone you know appears to be depressed and is contemplating suicide, take that person seriously. Do not leave him or her alone and encourage the person to seek the help of a mental health professional immediately.”

Suicide is a potentially preventable public health problem. Some of the warning signs for suicide include: always talking or thinking about death; taking unecessary risks; losing interest in things one used to care about; making comments about being hopeless, helpless, or worthless; changing a will; saying things like "it would be better if I wasn't here" or "I want out"; sudden, unexpected switch from being very sad to being very calm or appearing to be happy; talking about suicide or killing one's self; and visiting or calling people to say goodbye.

For more information on Depression and Suicide, please contact BryLin Hospitals at 716-886-8200 or visit www.brylin.com. BryLin Hospitals is Western New York’s only private provider of inpatient psychiatry and outpatient addiction medicine services providing a variety of specialized programs for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults.