Today, Metrolink announced it was awarded a $59,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to address the issue of suicides along its system through outreach and training with key railroad staff, first responders and community members.
Shocked and saddened by what she was hearing in her classrooms when she worked as a substitute teacher a few years ago, Freedom Coach, Lifestyle Hacker, Dating Consultant, Divorce Guru, and author Cheron Griffin, felt she had to do something about it. “When I asked the children what was on their hearts, they started to tell me some of their parents and other family members had tried to commit suicide and how it affected them.” Some of the children had themselves contemplated suicide citing low self-esteem, bullying, or abuse or not feeling loved in the home as reasons.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, close to 1 million adults report attempting to commit suicide and 800,000 people die due to suicide every year worldwide. It has also been reported that calls to suicide prevention hotlines have doubled since 2014. Why is this? The answer to this question is complex. There is no one answer.