James Donaldson on Mental Health - Why the Most Dangerous Age for Women’s Mental Health May Be Midlife

By Helen Carefoot ??If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, call 911 or call or text 988 to reach the free, confidential 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline .

It's available 24/7 in every U.S.

You can also text the Crisis Text Line at 741741; call, text or chat the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA or 833-852-6262; or reach the Veterans Crisis Line by text or phone by typing 988 and pressing 1.

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S.

And while men account for about 80% of all recorded suicides, recent research points to increases in suicide among women across all racial and ethnic groups between 2000 and 2020.

And while they're less likely to die by suicide compared to men their age, women in midlife, between ages 45 and 64, have the highest rate of suicide.

Flow Space called up Rheeda Walker, PhD , a suicidologist, professor of psychology at Wayne State University and author of The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health , to dig into why.

And to be clear: the idea that talking about suicide increases the risk of at-risk people trying it is a myth.

In fact, research shows that talking openly about suicide is an important plank of prevention that can actually decrease suicidal thoughts and ideation.

We talked to Walker about why midlife women are at an elevated risk — and how building community support can change that.