Judy Klutter was four years old when she found her father hanging from a rope in the bathroom.

Her mother did not talk to her about the suicide, or even admit that her father was dead. Because of the silence and shame, Judy was committed to a mental institution at the age of seven and remained for three years.

Klutter said, “Although I witnessed the horrible event, I was never allowed to understand it, never allowed to believe that what I saw was real, and never allowed the opportunity to discuss it with my mother. I kept my secret for 51 years until after my mother’s death in 1998 when I felt the need to rediscover my past and finally release the burden of my secret.”

Suicide outnumbered all other types of violent death in South Carolina during 2003. Almost 500 individuals took their own lives and left shattered families in their wake. Suicide is also preventable.

That is why Helen Pridgen, whose son committed suicide five years ago, decided to take action to educate her community about suicide and its prevention. Pridgen joined forces with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to sponsor an “Out of the Darkness” community walk.

Forty walks will be conducted nationwide to raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention. AFSP offers programs to prevent suicide, save lives, and increase national awareness about depression and suicide. Suicide is a major national health problem that takes an enormous toll on family, friends, coworkers and the entire community.

According to AFSP:

•In the US, a person dies by suicide every 18 minutes, claiming over 30,000 lives each year.

•It is estimated an attempt is made about every 45 seconds, with close to 1 million people attempting suicide each year.

•Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15–24 year olds and the second major cause of death among college students.

•In this country, approximately 20 million people suffer from serious depression.

•Ninety percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death.

Out of the Darkness volunteers are forming teams for the 2005 Community Walk to be held at 2:00 Sunday afternoon, October 9th, at the Columbia Riverfront Park, located at the corner of Huger and Laurel streets. For more information on the Columbia walk, contact Helen Pridgen at 803-206-8214 or 803-898-7571 or hrpridgen@sc.rr.com.