(Black PR Wire) Wow. You never know what someone is going through. Darryl McDaniels, better known as DMC of the legendary hip-hop super group, Run-DMC, has had years of hit records, sold-out tours, and adoration from fans from literally all over the globe. Yet, even with all that, he revealed a time in his life when he was ready to end his own life.

Now, at age 61, he not only reflects on his life, but he gets deeply personal in an effort to help others who may have struggled with suicidal thoughts.  In his memoir, Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide, McDaniels explains a period of his life when he was battling depression and how that depression got so deep that he thought about committing suicide every day.

When & Why Did He Want to End His Life

“I was probably at my suicidal worst in 1997 during a two-week-long tour in Japan. The only song I listened to then was a soft-pop ballad by Sarah McLachlan called ‘Angel,'” McDaniels writes in an excerpt first published by People. “I cannot overemphasize how important that song was to me in the midst of my depression. ‘Angel’ kept me serene even when every fiber of my person was screaming for me to lose it [and] made me believe that I could soldier through.”

McDaniels was sober at the time after struggling with alcohol addiction but found himself at a crossroads in his life. He faced an identity crisis when he lost his voice due to a condition called Spasmodic Dysphonia. The condition, which causes involuntary movements of one or more muscles of the voice box, can ultimately result in the loss of one’s voice. He was also dealing with group conflicts after Jam Master Jay was killed.

“I thought long and hard about killing myself every day in Japan. I tricked myself into thinking that my family might be better off without me. I considered jumping out of a window. I thought about going to a hardware store to buy poison to ingest. I thought about putting a gun to my temple…”

“It would be too simple to say that a song got rid of all my negative feelings. it couldn’t rid me of the wounds. ‘Angel’ was like a life preserver tossed to me during a storm. It didn’t pull me out of the water, but it did help me stay afloat until other help came along.”

What Helped Him Change His Mind?

In 2004 he decided it was time to seek professional help and calls it one of the ”best things” any man, but especially a black man can do.

“When I went to therapy, I realized something that most men – I don’t care what race, creed, or color you are, but especially black men – I realized that therapy isn’t ‘soft’,” he stated to the media. “My saying is, ‘Therapy is gangsta.’ It actually empowered me. It allowed me to say things that I thought about, but I would never want to hear myself say those things.”

According to the Office of Minority Health, while Black/African Americans are less likely than white people to die from suicide as teenagers, Black/African American teenagers are more likely to attempt suicide than are white teenagers (8.3 percent v. 6.2 percent).

And that stat for adults is not much better. In 2011, 54.3 percent of adult Black/African Americans with a major depressive episode received treatment, compared with 73.1 percent of adult white Americans.

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. To break the statistics down by age, suicide is:

• The second leading cause of death between the ages of 10 to 14 and 25 to 34
• The third leading cause of death between the ages of 15 to 24
• The fourth leading cause of death between the ages of 35 and 44

In the U.S. in 2021, 48,183 people died by suicide. This equals one death by suicide every 11 minutes.

“If you don’t discuss your mental health and therapy we will keep having this unnecessary cycle of us missing signals, signs and opportunities to eradicate the mental conditions that is brought on because of a continuation of a repeated cycle,” DMC said. “And we miss the chance to fully diagnose and treat the individuals who have mental health problems. So it’s important that people talk about it.”

Warning Signs of Suicide

The behaviors listed below may be some of the signs that someone is thinking about suicide.

Talking about:

• Wanting to die
• Great guilt or shame
• Being a burden to others

Feeling:

• Empty, hopeless, trapped, or having no reason to live
• Extremely sad, more anxious, agitated, or full of rage
• Unbearable emotional or physical pain

Changing behavior, such as:

• Making a plan or researching ways to die
• Withdrawing from friends, saying goodbye, giving away important items, or making a will
• Taking dangerous risks such as driving extremely fast
• Displaying extreme mood swings
• Eating or sleeping more or less
• Using drugs or alcohol more often

If these warning signs apply to you or someone you know, get help as soon as possible, particularly if the behavior is new or has increased recently.

What to do if I or a loved one is thinking about suicide?

It can be worrisome and scary to experience suicidal ideation or any situation where taking your life might be a possibility. You may also be concerned about the safety of someone you care about if they tell you that they’re thinking about suicide or attempted suicide.

The following may help:

• Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Talking to someone can help you, whether you’re in a crisis or just having a bad day. Remember, you’re not alone. If you or someone you know are in danger or an unsafe situation, call 911 or your local emergency services number immediately.
• Make a safety plan. A safety plan is a list of things that can help you or a loved one feel better when they’re experiencing a crisis, including suicidal thoughts. This list could include what you can do on your own and with others.
• Have a conversation with someone you trust. It could be a friend, a relative, a teacher or a healthcare provider, for example. There are people around you every day who can support you in your time of need.

Within your living space, there are steps you can take to keep yourself or a loved one safe. You’ll want to remove or lock away the following items that may cause harm:

• Prescription medications.
• Alcohol or substances.
• Guns or weapons. If guns are present, make sure the bullets are removed and stored separately.