Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health released an interesting article on suicide in the journal Crisis. It stated that the acute period of heightened risk for suicidal behavior is often only hours or minutes long. According to their research, 87% of people considering suicide thought about it for less than a day.
Another article in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that people taken to the hospital for an attempt on their life only thought about it for a short period.
So those moments before something tied to commit suicide are vitally important. The research shows that if we can stop someone in an attempt or prevent it from happening in the first place, there is a very good chance that they will never die by suicide.
So this story from Rochester, New York is powerful.
David DelleFave was driving over the East Henrietta Road bridge over Interstate 390 in Rochester on his work. He noticed a man climb over the railing and step out onto a small ledge.
DelleFave called to the man from his car.
“He didn’t say much. He sat there. He said he was having some issues,” DelleFave told WHEC. “So I told him whatever it was, whatever was going on in his life, it was going to be OK.”
When the crying man leaned over the ledge even farther, DelleFave hopped out of his car.
“I looked down over the edge and realized none of these vehicles are not going to stop in time if it does happen. I reached up behind him and I just embraced him. I put my arms around him. I hugged him from behind and I just held him,” he said. “And I told him whatever it is, please come with me. Whatever is going on today, whatever it is, we’ll fix it just please come with me.”
The man was shaking and leaned forward again, DelleFave feared they both may fall off the bridge. After a tense half minute or so, the suicidal man turned to DelleFave and said, “OK.”
When they got back on the bridge, they noticed that it was jammed with people watching.
“I seen the lady here crying hysterically. I seen the other lady on the phone. I seen a gentleman down here leaning out of his truck cheering me on,” he said. “That’s when I realized that—I probably just saved someone’s life.”
DelleFave took the man to Taco Bell for some food and a sheriff’s deputy arrived and took the man to the hospital. It was then that the suicidal man realized he had a new purpose in life.
“When he was talking to the sheriffs he said that he realized that he’s here and how many lives he can help and he said, ‘That’s what it’s all about.”
Watch:
David DelleFave didn't take his break from work yesterday thinking he would face a life and death situation. But that's what happened. "This is the edge right here," he said, walking along the rail of the East Henrietta Road bridge over I-390. https://t.co/koFZhId1bR
— news10nbc (@news10nbc) August 10, 2022
