An up-and-coming actor, known for multiple small roles, has taken his own life while live on social media.
Texas born and bred actor Jay Bowdy reportedly ended his life during a Facebook Livestream, speaking to his friends, family, and followers.
The circumstances surrounding his decision and the method by which he decided to end his own life are as-yet-unknown. However, Just before taking his life, Bowdy briefly mentioned being a married father of six.
He had his first child at 18 and got married when he was 25. He and his wife have four children together, in addition to his two from a previous relationship.
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According to IMDB, Bowdy appeared in over 15 films and television shows. He was also a finalist for reality shows The Island on NBC and Big Brother 17 on CBS.
He earned his Master's degree and was the first to earn a college degree on his father's side of his family.
The up-and-coming actor's last Instagram post was a week ago and seemed optimistic in tone. Take a look:
In fact, many of his social media posts were optimistic. Take a look at the Twitter post he left just one month ago when talking about his desire for success for his children:
An estimated five to 10 percent of bBack men have depression. The 2015 National College Health Assessment reports that more than 18 percent of students said depression affected their ability to function within the last month.
But there is good news. A recently released study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that...
... suicide in the United States has surged to the highest levels in 30 years, with increases in every age group except older adults and black men, reports the New York Times.
The good news for black men is especially heartening given the news from last May that the suicide rate among black children has nearly doubled since the early 1990s.
The number of suicides increased among all racial groups except for Black males, who saw an 8 percent decline in suicide rate from 10.5 to 9.7 per 100,000 between 1999 and 2014.
Because of mental health stigma, particularly in the black community, many individuals are reluctant to talk about mental health issues. Expressing mental anguish is often seen as exhibiting weakness. What is most dangerous is that even when they acknowledge depression, many black men don't seek mental health services.
Want to know the signs of someone who is suicidal? Click here.
If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, please seek help.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the Bowdy family.
