Wynonna Judd is “Incredibly Angry” by Her Mother’s Death by Suicide

Listen to the words and songs of Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd during Dr. Jim Polakof’s special podcast report on ‘Suicide’!

Following her mother’s death by suicide, Wynonna Judd wondered, “"I did not know that she was at the place she was at when she ended it, because she had had episodes before and she got better.  And that's what I live in, is like, 'Was there anything I should have looked for or should I have known?”

Suicide is the leading cause of death in the U.S.  “YOU” can prevent more deaths by suicide from happening by listening to the Judd’s and discovering the ‘warning signs’.  www.JamesPolakof.com

National Alliance on Mental Illness Help Line 800-950-6264
OR VISIT NAMI.org 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:06

Welcome. This is Dr. Jim Polakoff with a special podcast report. Are you aware that suicide is the number one leading cause of death in the United States? According to the CDC, there is one death by suicide every 11 minutes. This doesn't count to 3.2 million people per year who plan to commit suicide. Before we discuss solutions, I want to share with you a CBS interview with Wynona Judd. And it's about her mother, Naomi Judd, and the celebrity's suicidal death. Very unfortunate death. Back in April, Wynona and her sister Ashley Judd made a joint statement. They said, Today we are sisters who experienced the tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. But before we get too deeply into the Judd story, I want to emphasize that mental illness is not the only cause of suicide. Of course, 46% of the people who die by suicide had a mental health condition. But there are many other causes that we need to be aware of. For example, bullying has been a leading trigger as of late, particularly amongst teenagers. There's job loss, financial problems, they rank high. We should include violence victimization, chronic pain, social isolation, and substance abuse as additional culprits. Plus, we shouldn't leave out the lack of access to health care, discrimination of all types, even watching the never-ending stream of violence on television. This causes many people to want to leave this troubled world behind. However, on this episode, we're going to focus on mental illness. So let's get back to the Juds. Winona and Naomi Judd roast a country music stardom together.

SPEAKER_05 2:20

They used to call themselves two red-haired hillbillies from Kentucky. And way back when they were staying alone. But performing together as the Juds in the 1980s, they became one of the most successful country music duos in history. The Jug sold more than 20 million albums, had 14 number one singles, and won five Grammy Awards.

SPEAKER_01 4:51

And we did pretty damn good. Most of the time.

SPEAKER_05 5:55

After a long and public battle with depression, Naomi Judd took her own life at the age of 76. The next day, the Juds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

I did not know that she was at the place she was at when she ended it.

SPEAKER_04 6:16

This is exactly the problem we face with most suicides. We didn't see it coming. My mission in this special podcast is to share with my listeners the warning signs which can alert each of you to suicide in the making. Share with me, it's a long list, but some of them may really surprise you. Excessive worries and fear, feeling excessively sad or low, being confused in your thinking, or problems concentrating, or learning things. Suicide also can be result from extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable highs and feelings of euphoria, prolonged or strong feelings of irritability and anger, avoiding friends and social activities. Another contributor to suicide are difficulties in understanding and relating to other people. Also, changes in sleeping habits and feeling tired and having low energy have caused people to obviously find another solution, which is suicide. Changing in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite, changes in sex drive, difficulty in perceiving reality, such as delusions and hallucinations, in which a person experiences or senses things that aren't in the objective reality of life. Some people have an inability to perceive changes in one's own feelings, behavior, or personality problems. And then there's overuse of substances like alcohol and drugs, which have led to suicide, multiple physical ailments, which obvious causes, I mean, like headaches and stomach aches and vague and ongoing aches and pains. Yes, that can contribute as well. Inability to carry out daily activities or handle problems and stress, and an intense fear of weight gain or a concern with the parents has also led people to commit suicide. These are all warning signs. Some of them may be surprising, some of them may seem modest in comparison to mental illness, but they are contributors towards suicide. Mental health conditions may also be able to develop in young children because they're still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions. Their most obvious symptoms are behavior. Symptoms in children could include the following changes in school performance, excessive worry or anxiety, fighting to avoid bed or school, hyperactive behavior, frequent nightmares, frequent disobedience or aggression, and frequent temper tantrums. These are all warning signs and children that you should watch out for. Yes, it could be your spouse, your child, parent, loved one, friend, business acquaintance, or even your neighbor. So what can you do to help? I suggest you contact the National Alliance for Mental Illness and their helpline. Their number will be published on our website, jamespolikoff.com. But here it is. Take a moment to write this helpline number down. 800-950-6264. Again, that's 800-950-6264. Or you can go to their website, NAMI.org. That's name.org. Again, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, their contact number, valuable suicide information will be published on our website, Jamespolikoff.com. That's James P O L A K O F dot com. The Special Suicide Podcast Report has been brought to you as a public service. Please don't take it lightly. It's you who may save a life. This is Jim Polikoff. I wish to thank you for listening.