Suicide rate increases, family members share stories

In 2016, suicide was the tenth-leading cause of death in Tennessee, claiming over one thousand lives per year according to the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, roughly 100 of these are between the age of 10 to 24-years-old. In honor of Suicide Prevention month, WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News spoke with some west Tennesseans who plan to take action after the unthinkable happened to their loved ones.

It was a Sunday morning on June 3rd when everything changed for Lynn Julian.

“My whole universe held its breath and collapsed in on itself and everything stood still,” said Julian.

She found her own son in her home after he had committed suicide.

“But, I went over and touched him and he was cold already,” said Julian.

Her only son, Clifton Michael, was just 32-years-old. He left behind his two little boys.

“And it’s very lonely and it hurts,” said Julian.

She is not alone.

“We lose 42,000 to suicide as compared to homicide; there’s only a documented 17,000 and motor accidents are somewhere around 36,ooo thousand in the United States alone,” said Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network’s Tosha Gurley.

Jackson Police’s Captain Jeff Shepard lost his 16-year-old niece, Cason Crabtree, to suicide last year.

“She liked a lot of the movies. She liked Harley Quinn from Batman series,” said Shepard.

Captain Shepard and Julian say they wish their loved ones would have asked for help.

“It’s okay to not be okay and it’s okay to ask for help,” said Julian.

“Get the device away from the person and get the pills away, lock up medications,” said Gurley.

They say now is time for change and a time to put more focus on mental health. They hope sharing their stories prevents anyone else from taking their own life.

“God creates beauty out of ashes and good things are going to come from this.  It doesn’t have to be this way. I don’t want anyone to ever have to feel what I feel right now… ever,” cries Julian.

If you know anyone who is suicidal, there is a crisis text line.  Just text “TN” to 741741 and it will automatically connect you to a crisis counselor 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Tennessee is the first state in the U.S. to offer suicide prevention license plates. To support the battle against the stigma of suicide you can purchase one for $30 online at tspn.org.
You can also donate to the “Winking Owl Scholarship Foundation” in Cason Crabtree’s honor. We have that link in our Seen on 7 section.