And that man who killed his three siblings when they failed to prepare food for him Saturday last week.

Spade’s and Bourdain’s are almost identical stories.

Two world famous personalities at the height of their careers taking their lives, stories repeated year after year and will keep on repeating if we do not contribute to stop it.

How many of them have crossed over, rather very willingly to the shock of the world.

Kurt Cobain, who shot himself with a long firearm in the mouth.

The famous comedian Robin Williams, who hanged himself in his California home.

The writer Hunter S. Thomas, father of gonzo journalism, took his life with handgun in 2005.

British fashion designer Alexander Mcqueen, who dressed personalities like Lady Gaga, hanged himself on the eve of his mother’s funeral in 2010.

The great writer Ernest Hemingway, who shot himself in the head in Idaho in 1961.

They were not failures. They were, in fact, very successful and popular at the time of their deaths. It was shocking to hear about their suicides, for reasons of health or their failure to handle popularity.

They were depressed. Or so said the reports that followed their suicides.

Youth for Mental Health Coalition national adviser Dr. Gia Sison, in an interview posted by ABS-CBN yesterday, said: “We always say depression is an illness, but it doesn’t define the person, and it can hit anyone. It has nothing to do with success also.”

Grief, sexual abuse, financial problems, remorse, rejection, a relationship breakup, and unemployment are said to be the common causes of suicide.

Psychologists also listed some other factors that contribute to suicidal thoughts. These include depression, psychosis, impulsiveness, helplessness, desire to die and committing a mistake.

The case of John Mark Melebo, 21, who killed his brothers John Renz, 14; Alejandro, 5, and Gregor, one, for failing to prepare food for one could fall in any of these. Authorities are looking the possibility of the suspect suffering from mental illness.

Melebo’s story could not be treated as different from those of Spade’s, Bourdain’s, Cobain’s and the others who have committed suicide. Theirs were and are serious mental health issues that need to be addressed to minimize, if not prevent, future suicides and crimes.

The World Health Organization last year reported suicide rate in the Philippines was 5.8 for male, 1.9 for females, and 3.8 for both sexes.

The numbers were based from the number of cases affected per sample size of 100,000 people. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds, and 78 percent of global suicides occur in low and middle-income countries.

CNN, in an article, articulated a College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists claim in 2016 saying lifetime risk of suicide for individuals with untreated depression was about 20 percent, and estimated rate of completed suicide for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder was nine percent.

The World Suicide Prevention Day is to be celebrated in September.

To draw positives from Spade’s and Bourdaine’s suicide would help raise awareness about the issue.

Both the Senate and the Lower House have approved their versions of the Philippine Mental Health Act since last year.

A law to integrate seeks to integrate mental health services and programs in the public health system is awaited.

Maybe Spade and Bourdain would serve as insipirations for us to talk about this issue more and more.

And maybe see less– if no more– suicide cases in the future.

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