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Key TakeawaysDisabled people are at increased risk of suicideMedia portrayals of disabled people that show death as the best alternative are harmfulMental health professionals say that those with invisible disabilities, or those who are not showing obvious signs of distress, are the patients less likely to receive needed care

Key Takeaways

Disabled people are at increased risk of suicideMedia portrayals of disabled people that show death as the best alternative are harmfulMental health professionals say that those with invisible disabilities, or those who are not showing obvious signs of distress, are the patients less likely to receive needed care

Information in this article may be triggering to some. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theSuicide & Crisis Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Information in this article may be triggering to some. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theSuicide & Crisis Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you’re a disabled person, particularly an easy-to-spot disabled person thanks to an assistive device, there’s always a moment of apprehension when a stranger approaches you and starts eyeing you up and down.

If you’re lucky, it’s another disabled person asking about what kind of equipment you’re using. More often, it’s a non-disabled person offering you sympathy, asking an inappropriate question, or saying something like, “Good for you, if I had a life like yours, I’d kill myself.”

The awful truth is that disabled people often do choose to end their lives. Recent research from theAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicinefound that disabled people studied were more likely to have suicidal ideation, make plans, and act on those thoughts.

Those conducting the study, from the University of Florida and the University of Utah, found that “the more limitations” a person had, the more likely they were to report suicide-related thoughts and feelings.

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The Risk of Casual Mentions of Suicide

“Let’s talk about that, the negative stereotypes that are portrayed about a person living with a physical disability, that it’s so severe, they can’t do anything for themselves… maybe that has been their frame of reference.”

Chase Cassine, LCSWPeople who have disabilities have always been, whether it’s attitudinal discrimination, institutional, medical, they’ve always been discriminated against, and looked at as abnormal. When we’re all people.

Chase Cassine, LCSW

People who have disabilities have always been, whether it’s attitudinal discrimination, institutional, medical, they’ve always been discriminated against, and looked at as abnormal. When we’re all people.

Popular media is filled with harmful stereotypes about disabled people.

What’s more, disabled people are expected to want to be better off dead. The media trope itself is called “Better Dead Than Disabled.”

This is all especially concerning when you consider the concept ofsuicide contagionor suicide clusters, where being exposed to suicidal behavior can increase the risk in someone already considering ending their life.Cassine says that his approach to mitigating the harm of these passive and yet intrusive mentions of suicide is to be person-centered and help clients recontextualize how they are receiving these painful messages. He says it’s really important to understand the historical context of discrimination against disability in order to provide effective care.“People who have disabilities have always been, whether it’s attitudinal discrimination, institutional, medical, they’ve always been discriminated against, and looked at as abnormal. When we’re all people.”

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How to Create a Shift

Dr. Taish Malone, PhD, LPC, of Mindpath Health says that the clients she works with, many of whom have disabilities, are best served with strategies that allow them to navigate microagressions like casual mentions of suicide.

“Self regulation and concept of self are very important, especially in mitigating underlying vulnerability, which most with chronic health conditions have. Because they are in fact dealing with some impairment. And so it’s common for them to feel or to be encouraged to feel that they are less than others because of what they’re dealing with.”

Dr. Taish Malone, PhD

“I feel like an important element might be for loved ones, to look for certain signs in the people that they love, who have disabilities, looking for indicators of depression, or anxiety; and even look for indicators of those who might be loved ones who might be bullying or have oppressive feelings or non-accepting thoughts towards those with disabilities.”

Malone says that reducing the risk of suicide in the disability community requires mental health care professionals to be part of care teams and that while disability is often thought of in relation to a traumatic event, it’s those with chronic health conditions who she sees needing more support.

What This Means For YouIf you are disabled, know that those casual mentions of suicide levied at you do not go unnoticed. If you’re an ally, be aware of how you can notice and redirect symptoms and behaviors to reduce harm.

What This Means For You

If you are disabled, know that those casual mentions of suicide levied at you do not go unnoticed. If you’re an ally, be aware of how you can notice and redirect symptoms and behaviors to reduce harm.

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2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Mendez B.Better dead than disabled: Analysis of Me Before You.Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship. 2019;3(1).

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