Mental Illness & Suicide
with Judy Springer
Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of 47,000 people.
Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54. There were more than twice as many suicides (47,173) in the United States of there were homicides (19,510). Sadly, suicide is trending upward, increasing 31% in the past eighteen years. Suicide among males is nearly fourt times higher than among females.(Source) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports in 2017).
These statistics are startling. Judy Springer doesn’t need statistics to reveal the anguish and pain of mental illness and suicide. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, she tells how she has lived it and continues to live with the aftermath of suicide. After a lifetime of the unrelenting pain of mental illness, Judy’s beloved husband, Scott, took his own life. Judy shares their story as a way to redeem some of the pain of Scott’s struggle to find healing and death. She is confident Scott would want her to transparently tell their story as a way to offer help and hope to others. This story will not only offer help and hope to those struggling with mental illness but equip others to walk beside them.
Biography of Judy Springer
Judy Springer is the widowed mother of three grown children. She enjoyed twenty seven years of marriage to her beloved husband, Scott. She is now the widowed mother of three grown children who are walking with the Lord. Judy studied interior decorating and is presently a real estage agent. She has been involved in numerous ministries in her local church. Though experiencing grief through the loss of her husband, Judy plans to live life to the fullest, love deeply and find ways to be light in a dark world.