Editor's note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
In a raw new episode of Fox Nation's "Final Thoughts," host Tomi Lahren opened up about her grandfather's decision to take his own life as this week marks eight years since the tragic event.
In an attempt to bring awareness to the issue, Lahren reflected on her personal tragedy, hoping to reach viewers and encourage them to speak out against the "stigma" surrounding mental health-related issues.
"I’m sharing my very personal family story because whether you love or hate me...maybe you’ll be inspired to share your own painful stories...until we can get to a time when discussions about suicide and mental health lose their stigma."
"Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and chances are you or someone you know has been affected by it. I certainly have," said Lahren.
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"I was a sophomore in college at UNLV, 8 years ago tomorrow, when I got the call from my mom that my grandpa had taken his own life. Chances are many of you listening to this commentary can vividly remember a call like that," she said.
Lahren described her grandfather as a "functioning alcoholic" for most of her childhood, saying he "wasn’t violent or abusive, he was just depressed and used alcohol to numb it."
After admitting himself into a rehabilitation program, Lahren's grandfather emerged "sober, healthy and happy" until he stumbled down a dark path, six years later.
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"He was sober, healthy and happy for six years. That was until he stopped taking his depression medication, started drinking again and in a matter of days, took his own life," she explained.
"He did it, in large part, because he couldn’t live with the fact he let us down. He didn’t want to be a burden, a disappointment, or a failure in his family's eyes," Lahren added.
According to a recent study by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, nearly 50,000 Americans committed suicide in 2017, an average of 129 per day, while an estimated 1.4 million Americans made the attempt -- though these numbers are likely much higher as suicide often goes underreported, Lahren explained, urging viewers to bring attention to mental health issues.
"Why? Largely because of the stigma that still surrounds suicide, depression and mental health issues, as a whole. It’s not something people care to talk about," said Lahren, responding to the overwhelmingly high rate of suicide attempts.
Lahren identified the root causes of suicide as "depression, substance abuse, or feelings of inadequacy," and reiterated the importance of bringing the issues to the forefront.
"Many of us are afraid to talk about it for fear of being judged, labeled or looked at differently by friends, family, coworkers, and society as a whole. Again, this has to change."
"Those issues affect Americans of every age, race, socio-economic status, religion and political ideology," she said. "Yet, many of us are afraid to talk about it for fear of being judged, labeled or looked at differently by friends, family, coworkers, and society as a whole. Again, this has to change."
According to the 2017 Youth Risk Behaviors Survey, 7.4% of youth in grades 9-12 reported that they had made at least one suicide attempt in 12 months. Female students attempted almost twice as often as male students.
"Because many of my fans are young women, I found this statistic not only shocking but extremely concerning," Lahren said.
In a rare moment for the Fox Nation host, Lahren said she decided to share her deeply personal story to encourage others to speak out about their experiences with mental health-related issues, so that "discussions about suicide and mental health lose their stigma."
"I’m sharing my very personal family story because whether you love or hate me, chances are you can relate, and maybe you’ll be inspired to share your own painful stories," Lahren said, "and maybe enough of us will share those stories until we can get to a time and place when discussions about suicide and mental health lose their stigma. Then, maybe we can save and change lives," she concluded.
This episode will be available on Fox Nation at 6 p.m. EDT and for more episodes of Tomi Lahren's daily commentary offering a refreshing and unfiltered perspective on issues across the country, join Fox Nation and watch "Final Thoughts" today.
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