September was National Suicide Prevention Month. Throughout the month, mental health organizations and advocates raised awareness of suicide, a leading cause of death, and educated us about the tools and actions that can help prevent it. It’s ironic, then, that my son, Matt, chose September 7, 2025, to end his life.
Matt followed his little brother, Scott, who died by suicide on February 26, 2024. Yes, I am a member of that unique club of parents who have lost two sons to suicide. The dues of that club are enormous, and I hope no one else ever joins it. But I am grateful to have had Scott and Matt with us for as long as we did.
For the past couple of years, my family and I have participated in events to raise awareness of suicide prevention. We have joined three suicide walks, donated thousands of dollars to suicide-prevention organizations, and served others in honor of Scott and Matt, in an effort to turn our grief into belief—belief that there is still good in this world and that all of us can get through hard times by helping one another.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (the “CDC”), in 2024, suicide was the eleventh leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming more than 48,800 lives. That’s more than twice the number of homicides. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals ages 10 to 24, the fourth leading cause among those ages 35 to 44, and the fifth leading cause among those ages 45 to 54. These figures reflect only deaths by suicide. In 2024, 2.2 million adults in the United States attempted suicide, and 14.3 million adults reported serious thoughts of suicide. According to the CDC, someone in the United States dies by suicide every eleven minutes.
The suicide rates among people with bipolar disorder are staggering. Twenty percent of people with bipolar disorder die by suicide, and 60 percent attempt suicide at least once in their lives. People with bipolar disorder are ten to thirty times more likely to die by suicide than the general population and twice as likely as those with major depression.
This year, we have decided not to participate in suicide awareness walks. While I fully support suicide prevention, our family is trying to focus more on one of the underlying causes of suicide: mental illness. Both Matt and Scott had bipolar disorder, and though they were more than their disease, bipolar disorder literally took over their lives. The family will still perform service in Matt’s and Scott’s names and seek ways to help and support others suffering from that dreaded disease.
I have often thought that when you look up bipolar in the dictionary, you’ll see Matt’s photo. For years, I have pondered whether to share the particulars of Matt’s story, even before his death. But it was his story to tell. Since his death, though, if I don’t tell it, perhaps no one will. I also realized I have my own story about bipolar disorder: what it’s like to live next to it. I was recently inspired by Ron Powers’ book No One Cares About Crazy People, which tells the story of his two sons with schizophrenia, one of whom died by suicide. That book also inspired a documentary of the same name. Here is the trailer for No One Cares About Crazy People:[i]
Fortunately, many care about people with mental illness and are trying to do something about it. It often starts with family members, who are bringing mental illness out of the shadows and into understanding. But sometimes we focus on mental illness because it is associated with a horrific crime. When Lindsay Clancy strangled her three children, the state of Massachusetts brought murder charges against her. Her defense? Not guilty by reason of insanity. Lindsay Clancy suffered from postpartum psychosis, a mental illness I had never heard of until Clancy’s trial. Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, severe insomnia, extreme mood swings, and confusion. Her case ended in a mistrial.
According to a 60 Minutes interview with Lindsay Clancy’s husband, Patrick, the events began in October, when Lindsay went several nights without sleep. She made repeated trips to the ER. She admitted herself to a postpartum depression program and was released after a day of treatment. She was also prescribed an ever-increasing number of medications. By December, Lindsay was suffering from sleep deprivation, deep depression, and intrusive thoughts. On New Year’s Eve, she checked herself into a hospital’s behavioral unit, received treatment for depression for a few days, and was released. Seventeen days later, after taking her daughter to the doctor, Lindsay asked Patrick to run a few errands and pick up dinner. When he returned home, Patrick found Lindsay lying in the backyard. Her throat and wrists were cut, and she was paralyzed after jumping from an upstairs window. Patrick found their three children in the basement. Two were dead, but their youngest somehow survived. He died in Patrick’s arms four days later.
With proper medical care, a person can recover from postpartum psychosis, usually within two to twelve weeks. Both Lindsay and Patrick have filed civil lawsuits against some of Lindsay’s caregivers, alleging medical malpractice for failing to accurately diagnose and treat her mental illness.
The murder case against Lindsay Clancy drew national attention and divided the country. Some saw her mental illness as the cause of the crime, while others focused on the children and sought justice for them. Regardless of the verdict, Lindsay Clancy might not walk the streets as a free woman. Even if acquitted, she will remain in the psychiatric facility until medical experts determine she is stable and no longer inclined to violence. That could be years from now. In a similar case, Andrea Yates, who also suffered from postpartum psychosis and schizophrenia, drowned her five children in 2001 in Houston, Texas. Her jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to a mental hospital, where she remains to this day.
The documentary, Out of Mind, Out of Sight,[ii] was filmed over an 18-month period at Brockville Mental Health Centre. Brockville is a Canadian forensic psychiatry unit, meaning every patient there has a criminal charge but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. They are there because they were violent, not because they have a mental illness. Only a small minority of people with mental illness commit serious acts of violence. Few attack members of the general public; the violence is almost always against family members.
Here is the trailer for the film:
On July 3, 2002, Michael killed his mother. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and sent to Brockville. But his family supported him and visited him often. They forgave him, even though he took the life of one of their loved ones.
His brother, Peter, said this: “It compounds his sorrow when he knows that we’ve lost our mom at his hands. One could only imagine the horror in those moments when he allows himself to recall that day. And I don’t know what would be worse: whether the days when he’s perfectly lucid are more painful for him to endure, or the days when he’s not well. But I can only imagine that it’s a living hell every single day, and some days are worse than others.”
His brother, John, added: “The question of how we could forgive someone like Michael is a classic example of blaming the victim. Seems like such an obvious analogy, but you don’t forgive someone for contracting their cancer. Mom unfortunately lost her life. But it’s important to keep in mind that there are two victims in this story, and one of them happens to still be suffering. Michael survived the terrible event, but he continues to suffer. I think that, with the loss of a loved one, with an act of unthinkable violence such as this, our instinct is to look for the fault, look for the cause of it. But we make a terrible mistake to think that that cause rests with Michael himself. The cause of this tragedy is a mental disease. It’s a mistake to say that Michael was himself the killer. I mean, her killer was schizophrenia. The cause of her death was this disease.”
In the 60 Minutes interview, Patrick Clancy said he had forgiven Lindsay, believing it was her mental illness that killed their children. Whether or not Lindsay is retried and found guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity, and even if she spends little time in a psychiatric hospital, the mental torment of realizing what she did to her children will stay with her for life. Perhaps that is punishment enough
It’s tragic when anyone suffers from a severe mental illness, whether or not they commit a crime. I am grateful that neither Matt nor Scott was violent. Instead, they did the best they could with the minds they had. They were sons, fathers, and brothers. They are gone too soon, yet they will never be forgotten.
If you are suffering from a mental illness, please get the help you need. If you know someone who is suffering from a mental illness, do something to support them.
[i] No One Cares About Crazy People:
- Production Companies: Crazy People Productions
- Director: Gail Freedman
- Writer: Gail Freedman
- Starring: Carmelo Burgos, Kendra Burgos, and Taun Hall
- Release Date: September 6, 2025
[ii] Out of Mind, Out of Sight:
- Production Companies: J.S. Kastner Productions, Ltd., National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and TVO
- Director: John Kastner
- Writer: John Kastner
- Starring: John Bradford, Sharron Capper, and Elizabeth James
- Release Date: April 27, 2014
