Suicide Is Preventable (Steven Blackwood Commentary)

Shortly after my wife, Cindi, and I lost our son to undiagnosed depression almost eight years ago, I learned that suicide was the No. 1 cause of death for white male college students in the Southern states.

Our 19-year-old son, Alex Steven Blackwood, a freshman in his first semester at the University of Central Arkansas, had everything except hope the afternoon of Oct. 16, 2008.

Alex suffered silently while the darkness of depression gradually overcame his emotional well-being. Eventually, he became hostage to this depression.

Clearly, ignorance about the warning signs of depression and its power to destroy young lives was not isolated to my wife and me. This ignorance is common in previous generations, who often have maintained a silence surrounding depression and other emotional and mental health challenges. That silence has led to an epidemic of self-inflicted deaths.

Without knowledge, one does not have awareness or the responsibility to take action. On the other hand, once one becomes knowledgeable about something, he or she must accept the responsibility to take action. The harsh realities learned through the loss of our child could not be ignored. It was too late for us, but it was not too late for others; therefore, our family chose to begin a mission to break the silence and overcome the stigma through awareness and education that depression is treatable and suicide is preventable.

We are firm believers that people have to make a choice, choosing to be a part of the solution or to be a part of the problem. The only way we could be part of the solution was to take action; otherwise, we would automatically be a part of the problem — a problem that has robbed far too many families of loved ones, a problem that must be tackled head-on and without concern for stigma or potential embarrassment.

Alex Blackwood was a fine young man. As his father, I taught him to be a champion, a world champion. We taught him “chin up, chest out, face forward” skills and instilled in him that there were no limits on what he could accomplish in life. Unfortunately, we failed miserably in teaching him that “life sucks” at times.

We failed to emphasize that we are all human and each of us is subjected to the curveballs life throws us at times. We failed to inform him that those times are temporary. We failed to tell him that the dark cloud he experienced was common. We deprived him of any knowledge or hope that there was light ahead while he experienced unbearable pain from something whose cause he didn’t understand. He believed that this pain — the pain of depression —could be escaped only through death.

Depression is responsible for the vast majority of suicides. Yes, the same depression that can be treated successfully in most cases. And yes, the same depression that has been experienced in silence for decades.

Everyone can join us in our mission to break the silence and overcome the stigma by simply making depression a common household word. Every family has had some experience with depression. No one is immune and everyone is at risk. Join our efforts and the many other initiatives underway to conquer the silence. Together, we will raise awareness and educate others that depression is treatable and suicide is preventable.

Steven Blackwood is principal broker of the Blackwood Team, an independent real estate company based in Little Rock. Email him at SRBlackwood@Gmail.com.