I have written about suicide and suicide prevention often. Each time that I do, I struggle with how to discuss a difficult subject in ways that lead those who are struggling with depression or who have thoughts of suicide towards help. Many suicides can be prevented when those suffering receive the right help. Suicide and thoughts of suicide affect people in all walks of life, at all ages, and all circumstances. For many who need help, that help can begin with a phone call to 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Just as people are urged to call 911 when they face an emergency that requires police, fire, or ambulance, a phone call to 988 will yield immediate connection with local resources for those in crisis.

Police in Canada have charged Kenneth Law, a 57-year-old former chef, with 14 counts of second-degree murder. He is accused of supplying a poisonous chemical to people who died by suicide. The accusations include using multiple web sites and email contact with those considering suicide to sell kits that contained a deadly substance and instructions on how to use it to end one’s life. In addition to the murder charges, Mr. Law has been charged with an additional 14 counts of aiding and counseling suicide in connection with the same deaths. He faces life in prison if convicted of the murder charges.

According to BBC, Mr. Law’s lawyer has said the Mr. Law intends to plead not guilty to the charges.

On the one hand, talking about the case and sharing information about Mr. Law might lead someone who is suffering and seeking the means of suicide to those means. I will not mention the name of the chemical Mr. Law distributed because I do not want to inadvertently provide a suffering person with the means of suicide. However, after spending significant time with dozens of survivors of suicide and having responded to the scenes of suicide for decades, I know that those most affected by suicide loss feel a need to talk about suicide. Sweeping such conversations under the carpet and making suicide a taboo subject can make the process of living with suicide loss even more painful for those affected. I will not shy away from the subject despite the challenges of writing about it.

So I will repeat myself. If you or someone you love is suffering from depression or struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call 988. It is an emergency and life-saving action is required.

Those who die of suicide often have said to others, prior to their deaths, that they feel like no one would miss them if they died. Sometimes those who suffer convince themselves that their loved ones would be better off if they died. Those thoughts are tragically deceptive. I’ve responded to the aftermath of too many suicides. I have spent too much time with survivors who have lost loved ones. I know that each time a person dies they leave behind a large number of grieving people whose lives are forever changed by the loss.

Mr. Law, who remains in police custody, has been associated with multiple deaths of victims under the age of 18. The 14 murder charges involve victims aged 16 to 36. He has been implicated in the deaths of at least 90 people in the United Kingdom. Police believe he may have sent more than 1,200 parcels containing lethal substances to around 40 countries. The impact of this single individual is stunning.

From what I have learned, his story is surprisingly simple. He was employed as a chef prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. When he was laid off from his job, he was desperate to find a means of financial support for himself. He combined his knowledge of chemicals gained from his career in food preparation and preservation with the ability to build websites and began to sell what he called “poison kits.” It seems he had no illusions about what he was doing. He was profiting from providing the means for persons to die.

To be clear, the charges have not yet been proven in court. Mr. Law maintains his innocence. But his arrest and continued incarceration illustrate that prosecutors have substantial evidence to the contrary. This journal is not the place for the trial of Mr. Law. That will be left to law enforcement and the courts of the countries where the deaths occurred.

Reading about the case, however, has left me with the fear that vulnerable people will continue to search the internet for the means of suicide. It seems clear that on the internet there are people who are encouraging others to kill themselves, encouraging vulnerable people to self harm, and providing the means for harm and death to occur. That stark reality is a threat to all vulnerable people and their families. It is very possible that persons seeking help will mistakenly find the websites of those counseling death.

With all of its richness of information and possibilities of connection the Internet provides access to resources for people who might not otherwise find those resources. That access and those resources are available, however, only in the context of significant risk. Persons seeking help can inadvertently discover just the opposite.

Whenever I have the opportunity, and one of those opportunities is right now, I urge people to avoid typing the word “suicide” into web browsers without adding an additional word such as “lifeline,” “response,” “prevention,” or “hope.” Support and understanding are available, but there are merchants of death and grief who pose as helpers.

I began my education in suicide prevention back in the early 1970s when I volunteered as a phone counselor at a suicide prevention hotline. The experiences of more than 50 years have resulted in a heightened awareness of the risks that are present in our communities. I will continue to follow the case of Mr. Law as it proceeds through the courts. I hope that coverage of the case will not include information that leads more victims away from help.

Please join me in telling others about 988 and the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline. Each death prevented saves countess suffering from grief and loss.