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<\/a><\/p>\nOne day several years ago, a 14-year-old boy got off the bus and walked to the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge. Some things were troubling him, and he put his leg up over the railing, preparing to jump. Then he took his leg down, caught the bus home, and told his mother, who sought help immediately. He\u2019s fine now.<\/p>\n
Without that pause to reconsider, this boy\u2019s life may have ended in a tragedy that has claimed the lives of more than 1,600 people known to have jumped to their deaths from the iconic but deadly landmark.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s long been talk of a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge. At last there is action: Earlier this summer, the bridge district directors committed the final $76 million<\/a> needed for safety nets to deter jumpers. The barrier will be operational in three years.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long time coming. The most potent opposition has rested on a widespread misconception: many wrongly believe that people stopped from jumping will just go on to find another way to kill themselves.<\/p>\n Nothing could be further from the truth. Although some who are intent on suicide will find a way to die no matter what, fewer than 10 percent of those pulled from the bridge later take their own lives.<\/p>\n Ninety percent go on living\u2014that\u2019s a phenomenal success rate.<\/p>\n The most lethal means of suicide\u2014death by firearms and jumping\u2014are often chosen not by those who have carefully planned their own demise, but by those acting impulsively in a moment of upset. Young people are particularly susceptible to impulsivity; teens account for more than 10 percent of those who make the fatal plunge.<\/p>\n It only takes a moment\u2014to go over the edge of the alluringly low railing, or to pull back from it. A moment that means life or death.<\/p>\n Buying time is the essence of suicide prevention. Time allows impulses to pass, moods to shift, circumstances to improve. Would-be jumpers who are thwarted by a barrier gain precious time to change their mind.<\/p>\n That\u2019s time those who go over the railing probably wish they had. Kevin Hines<\/a> is one of the very few who made the leap and lived to tell about it. Here\u2019s what he said in an interview with a New York Times<\/em> reporter<\/a>: \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what I can\u2019t get out of my head. It\u2019s watching my hands come off that railing and thinking to myself, My God, what have I just done? Because I know that almost everyone else who\u2019s gone off that bridge, they had that exact same thought at that moment. All of a sudden, they didn\u2019t want to die, but it was too late.\u201d<\/p>\n As the saying goes, suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. With the Golden Gate Bridge barrier in place, we will have a much better permanent solution to the temporary problem of suicidal impulses.<\/p>\n It\u2019s about time.<\/p>\n *<\/em><\/p>\n For further information:<\/i><\/p>\n “The Urge to End it All,”<\/a> by Scott Anderson. New York Times Magazine, July 6, 2008.<\/i><\/p>\n The Final Leap<\/a>, by John Bateson (publication date 2015).<\/em><\/p>\n Myths about Suicide<\/a><\/em>, by Thomas Joiner (2011).<\/p>\n Bridge Rail Foundation: http:\/\/www.bridgerail.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n 24\/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One day several years ago, a 14-year-old boy got off the bus and walked to the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge. Some things were troubling him, and he put his leg up over the railing, preparing to jump. Then … Continue reading <\/h4>\n