00:00According to psychiatrist Dr. Ramthal, there is no single cause for mental health conditions, explaining they often result from a
00:09combination of factors.
00:11He notes conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and substance abuse are part of a wider clinical
00:21spectrum.
00:22Nobody is really immune and it's a multifactorial condition with social reasons, biological reasons, psychological reasons and cultural reasons.
00:37So not because somebody is a doctor or a lawyer or anything he would be immune.
00:43He adds that genetic factors can also play a role and that many individuals may appear to be coping on
00:51the outside while privately struggling with depression.
00:55We cannot judge these people at all. People have mental illnesses because they are victims of a condition to which
01:02they are helpless.
01:03If you have diabetes or heart disease or anything, those are really, although they are termed lifestyle illnesses, they have
01:10a genetic component that you were born with a genetic vulnerability.
01:15So people who have depression, lots of them are born with this genetic vulnerability.
01:21Dr. Ramthal further explains that women tend to attempt suicide more often while men are more likely to die by
01:29suicide due to differences in method and delays in seeking help.
01:34He also shares some local statistics on suicides.
01:38From the 80s to the 90s there has been like a 300% increase.
01:43Dr. Hutchinson has done lots of research on that.
01:46And he figures for the roots of almost 20, or around 20, 21 per 100,000 per year.
01:52Luckily we have fallen down a little bit now, back to around 13 to 14 per 100,000 per year.
01:59Which is still not acceptable, it's still in the medium range.
02:03He is urging anyone experiencing distress to seek help, noting that support is available through the National Suicide Prevention Hotline
02:12at 800-COPE, 800-2673, as well as Lifeline at 800-5588 or 866-4533 or at 220-3366, among
02:31other hotlines where trained personnel are available to listen and provide assistance.
02:38Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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