Paul Scott comment: Suicide prevention is beginning to get the attention it deserves

(Photo courtesy of Riotous Bloom and Heidi Snell-Anderson)

(Comment by decorahnews.com's Paul Scott):

Chances are, when you talk to a friend or a relative and you ask them how things are, they don't reply, "Well, I'm thinking of committing suicide."

This is a topic that people don't feel comfortable discussing--which is why this month's suicide prevention walk in Decorah was such a breakthrough.  It's great news to hear almost 400 people took part in the walk--far more than organizers were expecting.

But for me, personally, the most important part of the event was not the large crowd it attracted, but the reading of the names of Northeast Iowa residents who had lost their lives recently to suicide.  The list had 42 names.

It was impossible to hear those names and not think, "Wow!  I had no idea suicide touches so many local families."

Let me give someone else a chance to have the final word on this topic.  Here's walk organizer Robyn Aiels: "We had a vision of people coming together to share stories, remember a loved one and to reach out to those who may be struggling. I hope we achieved that.  Sadly, there were way too many names on the remembrance roll call.....we never expected to read off 42 names."

Thanks to Robyn and the other organizers.  I'm looking forward to the "Step Up Reach Out Suicide Awareness Walk 2016."