CDC stats report that suicide rates lower during the Holiday season

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that suicides occur more in the spring and the fall, contrary to longtime myth of the holiday season.

Carisa Kessler, the director of crisis services for Burrell Behavioral Health, said it’s important that you speak up, even if it’s just a thought.

Kessler said you should not “be afraid to talk about it [suicide]. A lot of people think oh, if I bring it up or I ask about it, that’s going to give them the idea. That’s a false statement. If you have any concerns about someone, you know a friend or family member, bring it up, talk to them about it.”

CDC reports suicide is the 10th leading cause of American deaths, and it still remains a major public-health problem to discuss.

According to the CDC, more than 36,000 people take their own lives each year in the U.S.

There were 1,052 suicides reported in Missouri in 2015 and 1,017 in 2014.

There are resources in Columbia, like the Burrell Center; you can visit them by clicking here or you can call there 24/7/365 crisis hotline at 1-800-395-2132.

The hotline is staffed by qualified mental health professionals, but you can also visit The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website here.