GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Becky Olson and Scott Dykstra share a pain no one wants to endure.
“It put a lot of stress on our family,” said Dykstra, who lives in Lowell. “A lot of relationships kind of almost got to the breaking point afterwards.”
Dykstra and Olson, who live in Grand Rapids, have each lost a loved one to suicide.
“He was very shy, but once you got to know him, he had a funny side to him,” said Dykstra as he remembered his older brother, Keith, who died in 2003, in an interview with FOX 17 on Sunday.
Grief for Olson came a few years later, in 2011, when her father, Dennis, passed away.
“He was always described as the light of the party and making everybody laugh,” said Olson. “He had a hearty laugh. It's really hard to picture him without a smile on his face. He loved sports.”
Both believe no other person should go through what their families did, but recent data shows that may take time.
Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new reportwhich found 49,449 people died by suicide in 2022. It’s the highest number ever recorded, and a 3% increase from 2021.
According to the agency, the suicide rate increased more among females (4%) than males (1%) last year, but it's four times more likely for a man to die by suicide.
The report found, when broken down by age, the suicide rate for males 45-54 and 55-64 years old jumped 6% and 10% respectively. However, the suicide rates for men under the age of 34 dropped. Similar trends were found for women too.
“Stand up, have conversations, [and] don't be afraid to do so,” said Shayne McNichols, a licensed clinical social worker. “In order for communities to thrive, people need to be there.”
McNichols owns Blossom Counseling Center for Personal Growth and Development in Grand Rapids. She says it’s difficult to pinpoint why the number of suicides reached an all-time high in 2022, but thinks the decline among kids and younger adults may be due to their willingness to use social media platforms and other resources, like 988.
“I work with quite a few people in that demographic who utilize 988 when they're struggling to just have an anonymous opportunity to really share themselves, so I think if more people would lean into technology… I think that would be helpful across the board,” said McNichols.
According to McNichols, warning signs of suicide ideation include:
- Talking about wanting to die, great guilt or shame, or being a burden to others
- Feeling empty, hopeless, more anxious, agitated, or physical pain
- Changing behavior, such as making a plan or researching ways to die, withdrawing from friends, taking dangerous risks, or eating or sleeping more or less
If someone notices any of those signs, she suggests they ask questions about that person’s emotional well-being then offer to get them help.
Dykstra and Olson agree. Both now volunteer with West Michigan Survivors of Suicide Loss, a suicide loss support group, and say people’s actions can help others avoid pain.
“The more accessible we can make this… from free resources, like a phone call… [to] also having more community resources that are free… like the Kent County Sheriff's Office [who] know how to intervene when there's a crisis, so that we can do more of that on the ground and frontline intervention would be my wish for everyone,” said Olson.
The report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found below:
