WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the US, and in Houston County, there have been nearly a dozen suicides or suicide callouts in just a month.
Fountain Park in Warner Robins was one of the last places Crystal Byrd visited with her brother.
"We all were here—there used to be a merry-go-round over there, so this is like a special place, I've never had a bad moment here," she said.
It’s been 12 years since she lost him to suicide.
"There was multiple problems before then but didn’t realize the signs, but there are signs even though some people says there’s not," Byrd said.
She says her brother was the same age as her father when he committed suicide.
“He was always against suicide, that’s why I never thought that he would actually do it. He always said, 'Crystal, I would never do what daddy did to us,'” she explained, but she vividly remembers the day he took his life.
"I got the phone call that he was gone, and since I only lived a street away from where he went to to do it, I got there pretty quick, and I remember seeing him lying there and I just ran up," she said.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention says in 2020, there were more than a million suicide attempts.
Betty George, a counselor, says knowing the signs is important.
"They may have ups, lows, highs, down. They may even display a change in their active behavior, like if they were an outgoing person, they may start being withdrawn," she explained.
If you see those signs, she suggests treatment.
"Get them to go to their doctor so that they can be guided to a mental health therapist, find out if they need to do acute assessment, they may even need inpatient treatment," George said.
Byrd says with her experience she always encourages people to reach out for help.
"Just please get some help, because when you’re gone, everyone else has to feel that pain for the rest of their lives and it’s just going to continue if it doesn’t stop," Byrd said.
George says the signs in children may be different and some children may show anger. She says surviving families usually feel like suicide can be prevented. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention says on average, there are 130 suicides a day.