LAFAYETTE, La. — September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to shed light on a crisis that impacts millions of Americans every year.
Nearly 50,000 people died by suicide in 2023, according to the CDC. That's one life lost every 11 minutes, and suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States. This month serves as a reminder to raise awareness and reduce the stigma.
Clifton John Roy Jr. is one neighbor who felt the world hit him hard. At 47 years old, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and spent time recovering from surgeries while adjusting to his new life.
"'We see that you also have a mass on your brain.' I couldn't believe it. I had a what in my head?" Roy recalled the moment that changed his life. "Business starts snowballing—lost clients. It was just a lot, and then managing family."
After being involved in a car accident, he said it felt like the weight of the world was crushing him.
"I took the curve too fast and then went off the road and flipped my vehicle over," Roy said. "I started recognizing the signs of depression. I could feel the depression set on me very hard, and that was the first time in my life I didn't want to live anymore."
Marc D'Aunoy, co-founder and clinical director of The Kitchen Table, helps provide mental health services to the community. He recommends reaching out for help if you experience similar struggles.
"Best practices is for the person who needs the help is to simply ask for that help, to reach out, to take the first step and make the phone call whether it's a crisis line or a local provider and just to take care of themselves, to change their opinion on the problem from one of weakness to just needing support," D'Aunoy said.
Roy did dial that number.
"I called the suicide hotline, and what they did was stay on the phone with me for about 30 minutes until the police officer from Lafayette Parish came," he said.
He was then admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Kaplan that helped him get back on the right track.
"I was able to do some self-reflection, think about life and get that disconnection I need for my mental health at that time, and once that happened, I could feel the suicidal ideations pull away," Roy said.
Asking for help isn't always easy.
"I think that was the bravest thing I ever did in my life was to put my ego down and ask for help," he told KATC.
D'Aunoy said anything is better than nothing when someone is facing a crisis.
"When someone calls a 988 hotline number, simply talking about their hopelessness, their shame, their grief, whatever those things are. Just simply having someone care and listen is, itself, a solution to the intensity of how someone is feeling about it," D'Aunoy said. "Hope is envisioning a future you don't yet have, and it's impossible to probably think about that when someone is in the middle of despair, but you have a story to tell and the story is not finished yet."
Now, Roy tries to help others on their path.
"So, I try to stay very focused on myself, where I'm feeling, and being honest about it. So, I never felt like 'No, not me.' Yeah, it could be me with the right circumstances, and I had the perfect storm that put me in that position. So, as far as I'm concerned, it can happen to anybody," Roy said.
Roy said he never regrets picking up that phone.
"It may take you two minutes to dial that number. That's a fight against yourself, life and death, and I would tell anyone to make that call," he said.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the number for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is 988. Click here to be directed to their website.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
