In 2006, homicide claimed the lives of 526 Kansans and Missourians. Tragedies all, and rightly the subject of community outrage, police investigations and news headlines.
In the same year, suicide killed more than double that number: 1,175.
Surprised? Most are, say experts who argue that America’s poor understanding of suicide reflects a continued stigma attached to mental health problems in general and suicide in particular.
Scott Perkins, project coordinator at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, said many people would rather ignore the issue altogether.
Read the complete story at kansascity.com