“Although 90 percent of suicides are completed by someone with a mental illness, suicide isn’t always connected to a mental health struggle,” Decker said. Sometimes the causes are situational – bankruptcy, divorce, legal ramifications or job loss.

One source of protection for all people, whether or not they have mental illness, can be a faith community, she said. “The Church could be a protective factor if it is a place that is welcoming and forgiving, where people feel that they belong and have a sense of purpose,” Decker said.

There is the horrific shock of losing a loved one so suddenly which, just of itself, can bring us to our knees; but, with suicide, there are other soul-wrenching feelings too, confusion, guilt, second-guessing, religious anxiety. Where did we fail this person? What might we still have done? What should we have noticed? What is this person’s state with God?

Understanding why a person kills him or herself seems essential to preventing suicide, but the causes of suicide are as unique as individuals. Misconceptions include that a person chooses suicide out of weakness and selfishness with a well-thought out plan.