Economy, social pressures blamed for rise in suicides

SALISBURY — While the common belief is suicide rates rise around the holidays, springtime is actually the time of year with the most suicides, especially the months of April and May.

Locally, police departments have seen an uptick in attempted suicides and suicides, which they believe is a symptom of the down economy and world events.

"We've had several attempted suicides," Salisbury police Chief David L'Esperance said, noting that in December, officer Steven Sforza rescued a woman as she began to jump from the Andrew Gillis Bridge. Salisbury police responded to the same bridge last week before another woman was able to take her own life there.

"We've had several calls in the last couple of weeks, and we try to intercept the person before they can harm themselves," L'Esperance said.

Salisbury isn't alone. Last May, a Pentucket Regional Middle School student took her own life. The death spurred Pentucket to provide programing to educate parents and students on how to respond to tragedy and how to identify and help depressed students. In the early spring, a 19-year-old took his own life in Amesbury.

With rates on the rise, Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett held the second of two suicide prevention workshops this week in Salem.

The first, held last week, was aimed at high school educators. Yesterday's will focus on middle school teachers.

"The first one was a great success, and we got a lot of feedback. People came away with a better understanding of the warning signs among teens," Blodgett said. "Anytime we can help educators in terms of looking for the signs of trouble, it helps the kids."

Blodgett said the workshops were created after his office learned suicide is on the rise from local mental health councilors.

"The workshops focus on the recognizable signs: personality change, no longer being involved in activities, a drop in grades, being withdrawn," Blodgett said. "We hope adults can reach out and help, ask them if there is something they need to talk about so they don't suffer in silence."

Blodgett said he believes suicide is on the rise given the pressures kids face today.

"Life is so fast, and it's even faster with electronics," Blodgett said. "It's so hard for kids to slow down and decompress. They grow up too fast now, and it's hard for kids to cope and harder for us to fathom the pressures kids deal with and the stress they are under."

The training, known as SOS, for Signs of Suicide, will help school officials learn how to effectively implement the nationally recognized program, how to identify the warning signs of suicide and depression, how to reduce suicide attempts, and how to involve parents, school personnel and community-based organizations in this critically important effort.

The SOS program also teaches students how to identify the symptoms in themselves or their friends and encourages them to seek help through the use of the ACT technique: Acknowledge, Care, Tell.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide is the third leading cause of death among children in America, 60 percent of high school students have thought about committing suicide, and approximately 9 percent have tried killing themselves at least once.

Nationwide, Massachusetts ranks 48 in the 50 states for suicides with 450 suicides in 2005, the latest data available, according to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.

L'Esperance said his department has been so inundated with suicides and attempted suicides the former domestic violence officer James Leavitt is now considered the victim service officer and deals with suicides.

Leavitt is scheduled to be honored this week by the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center for is work.

"If a statement is made to us by a person or through a third party, we immediately get that person to the hospital," L'Esperance said. "It's a serious problem, and I'm glad the district attorney is addressing it."

From what he has seen, L'Esperance said the rise is partly related to the economy and partly to what's going on worldwide.

"There is a whole feeling of distress," L'Esperance said. "Families are feeling tension; we can appreciate that. People are under-employed, and they can't do what they could before."

In Salisbury, like many local cities and towns, local officers work with Samaritans in Boston to get those in distress the help they need.

Help Out

Salisbury resident Laurie Chester will take part in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Out of the Darkness Overnight 18 mile walk on June 26 to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention.

"My team, One Day at a Time, is walking to raise local awareness. I lost my father, Dick Gadsby, to suicide in 2007. I walk for him, and in hopes that raising awareness will help prevent others from losing a loved one."

Chester lost her dad two year ago when he was 72 years old. Chester said the topic of suicide is considered taboo, and if more people can talk about it, the problem would be addressed.

"Since I've decided to walk, I've gotten a lot of people talking to me about their experience, and it's cathartic for them and for me. It's not something to be ashamed of," Chester said. "There is a lot of shame involved where there shouldn't be."

Chester said part of the problem with suicide is because people don't talk about it, the warning sings are not widely known.

"In hindsight, the behavior my dad's friends described would have been a red flag," Chester said. "But no one knew. We thought he was depressed and cranky. At 72, he didn't want to talk about his feelings and was a grumpy old man."

Chester said a dependence on alcohol and an unwillingness to get the help he needed led to his death.

"After I lost my dad, I didn't want to tell people because I didn't want to make them uncomfortable," Chester said. "There is a stigma attached, and it's a sign of weakness for so many people."

Chester hopes when people see she is walking the 18-mile overnight walk, they will tell their own stories.

"Hearing the stories has been great. People are reaching out and telling me it's OK," Chester said. "Even if one person talks about it and is not ashamed and can get the help they need, it's worth it."

Chester has pledged to raise $1,500 for the walk. To donate or join Chester's team, log on to: www.theovernight.org

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