MINNEAPOLIS — Across the country, many are mourning the tragic death of Cheslie Kryst — a former Miss USA, correspondent for "Extra," and North Carolina attorney — who died by suicide.
"Her win was such a big win for me personally because she was the first Miss USA that made me feel as if I could be Miss USA," said current Miss USA, Elle Smith.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. According to the CDC and NIMH, suicide rates nationwide increased by 35% between 1999 and 2018, before steadily declining among certain groups in 2019 and 2020.
"In 2020, we saw a reduction nationwide," said Marilyn Dornfeld of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Minnesota (NAMI). "There's always been one in five adults who have mental illness, but since the pandemic, those rates have gone up; so many people experiencing depression and anxiety."
Dornfeld says when it comes to mental health, it's important to identify the warning signs.
"Sometimes they are saying things like, 'There's no hope' — we need to ask questions," said Dornfeld. "What are the things that could have been triggering to them? We all have things we experience — trauma and hard things — you don't know sometimes if this is a tipping point for the person."
She says to ask the right questions to get them the help they need.
"Don't be afraid to ask, 'Are you thinking of suicide?,' and have resources handy to support that person."
NAMI Minnesota hosts classes on suicide prevention and has more resources on mental health.
More resources from NAMI:
Crisis Text Line
Text MN to 741741
Mobil Crisis teams
You may look up the county you are in and call -
may call **CRISIS or **274747 (most cell phone carriers- but not all)
National Suicide Prevention number
1-800-273-8255
911
Ask for a CIT officer, let them know this is a mental health emergency
NAMI
Contact NAMI Minnesota at www.namimn.org for classes and resources on
mental health, advocacy, education and support.
651-645-2948
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: