Once unheard-of, mentioning suicide as a cause of death in news obituaries and paid death notices has become more frequent especially in the past 10 years. High-profile suicides such as those of comic actor Robin Williams in 2014, fashion designer Kate Spade in 2018, and dancer Stephen “tWitch” Boss in 2022 have helped reduce the stigma surrounding suicide loss.
Mental health is being talked about more openly than ever, but the word “suicide” has remained largely taboo when describing how someone died. See why that’s slowly changing, what it means for people who grieve those deaths, and how candor can help prevent additional suicides.