INDIANAPOLIS -- Nearly 45,000 suicides occurred in the United States in 2016, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. That's more than twice the number of homicides.
It's a statistic that Kelsey Steuer knows all too well.
She lost her dad to suicide in 2001 when she was just 11 years old.
"He said that part of the reason he lived so long was because of my brother and I, and so, I just wish we could have helped him live a little longer," said Steuer.
The father of two took his own life.
"There were sprouts of excitement and all sorts of fun things, and we were doing all sorts of fun stuff together, and then there were times when he didn't get out of bed for days. And at the time, that was what I knew to be normal," said Steuer.
Now she is making it her mission to bring hope to others affected by suicide.
Steuer is the area director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She's working to convey the importance of starting a conversation about mental illness.
"It tricked him into thinking that nobody cared about him, nobody loved him, and we were better off without him. And that certainly wasn't the case," said Steuer.
Mike Dunn says volunteers at Family First Indiana answer about 70 calls per day to their crisis hotline.
Dunn trains the volunteers to start a conversation by affirming the courage it took for the person on the other end of the line to call.
"As we are patiently listening to all of the reasons why they want to die, we're persistently listening for a reason they may want to live," said Dunn.
He says the crisis line exists to support anyone who simply needs someone to listen.
Resources for suicide prevention
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to anyone who needs someone to talk to.
The support is free and confidential.
The number is 1-800-273-8255.
Or you can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
