“Although 90 percent of suicides are completed by someone with a mental illness, suicide isn’t always connected to a mental health struggle,” Decker said. Sometimes the causes are situational – bankruptcy, divorce, legal ramifications or job loss.

One source of protection for all people, whether or not they have mental illness, can be a faith community, she said. “The Church could be a protective factor if it is a place that is welcoming and forgiving, where people feel that they belong and have a sense of purpose,” Decker said.