A Call for Help – What You Can Do

I have a request for all of you. We are experiencing a crisis when it comes to mental health conditions and suicide. There are so many discoveries coming to surface, but we need much more funding to push forward. According to the NIH data I have researched on funding for all diseases and conditions, it’s obvious that mental health conditions and suicide are far down on the list of what is currently being funded.

This is a shame, considering one in four people suffer from a mental health condition, and considering that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in our young people from ages 10-35, only following accidental deaths. Many reports state that suicide is under reported because of the stigma related to it. If this is the case, which I believe to be so, then suicide numbers are far higher than reported. The fact that our funding for research is so low is flat out inexcusable.

We are already finding biomarkers for mental health conditions, and the research is showing the likelihood of biomarkers for suicide. There have been many studies conducted on genetics, epigenetics, and neuroinflammation, and how these can cause a predisposition for mental health conditions and suicidal ideation. In order to discover treatments for these conditions, we need to conduct more research. In order to do this, we need more funding!

How can you help? Please contact your local legislators to let them know that you are advocating for more funding to go into research for the biological causes of mental health conditions and suicide. With all of us working together, we could make a huge impact. It’s amazing what we can do when we all work together!