Pamela Kulbarsh Essay On Suicide

Suicide. Just the mentioning of such a word sends shivers down the spines of the listeners. Even though people do not speak about it often, suicide rates seem to be on the rise, and they are doing everything they can to help. Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse with the San Diego County’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team for over twenty-five years and author of the article “The Epidemiology of Suicide: Who is Most Likely to Take Their Own Life?” considers suicide “the most preventable death” (7). Suicide prevention and treatment, however, is by no means a new concept. The field of suicidology, the study of suicide and suicide prevention, began in the late 1800s. According to Barbara Mantel, French sociologist Emile Durkheim was the first to engage in the practice. Los Angeles opened the first suicide prevention center in the United States in 1958 (Mantel 755). As time passed, families of suicide victims and later government began to set up more and more organizations and programs to spread awareness and lend help and treatment for those suffering through mental illnesses with the thoughts of suicide. However, while the awareness and help opportunities increased, it seemed suicide rates were also increasing. Many studies were …show more content…
Janet Hackert, associate extension professional and nutrition & health education specialist, wrote an article entitled, “Suicide is the Most Preventable Cause of Death.” In it, she discusses briefly of Gary Hillebrand, a prevention specialist from Missouri. Hillebrand was the one to coin the phrase “the most preventable death” in reference to suicide. He explains that we must focus more on suicide and claims that suicide is very easy to prevent. Hillebrand also claims that through the help of people everywhere spreading awareness of the severity of suicide, preventing suicide is feasible