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Canton
Repository
Trying
to stem the rising tide of suicide
By
Alison Matas
Sep
09, 2013
Amy
Walther’s husband committed suicide eight years ago, dying a day
before their 30th anniversary.
The
52-year-old battled depression and paranoia, Walther said, but he was
on medication, and he’d promised his wife he’d never do anything
to hurt himself. She believed him.
“Since
it’s happened, I realize there’s a lot of people out there who
have the same problem who are struggling, too,” she said.
This
week is national suicide prevention week, and Tuesday is Ohio Suicide
Prevention Day.
Local
data shows the number of suicide deaths in the county is on the rise,
which some experts link to an increase in drug use. Recent efforts
are geared toward educating youth about suicide — a population many
say are particularly at-risk — but local numbers show the people
who most often complete suicide are ages 30 to 59.
Walther
said there’s still a stigma surrounding suicide, which makes people
hesitant to talk about it.
“I
really don’t think enough is being done,” she said.
‘CREEPING
UP’
The
number of suicides in Stark County has climbed during the past five
years, from 45 in 2008 to 57 in 2012, according to the Stark County
Coroner’s Office. There had been 45 deaths ruled suicides this year
through early September.
“I
think it’s been creeping up kind of steadily,” said Vicki
Fleming, with the coroner’s office. “It amazes me how many
suicides there are.”
More
than half of the suicides since 2009 have been committed by people
who were in the 30 to 59 age bracket.
The
Stark County Health Department last week released its child fatality
review report from 2011. Of the 48 children who died that year, three
committed suicide — two involved firearms, and one involved an
overdose of prescription medication. There have been 18 child deaths
in the county ruled suicides since the child fatality review process
started in 2000, according to the report.
‘BIGGER
THAN ONE EVENT’
Fleming
said the coroner’s office has investigators trained to identify a
suicide based on what’s found at the scene of the death — such as
notes or photographs — and what information is available on a
person’s medical records.
In
her experience, the cause “all breaks down to” drugs, mental
illness and relationships.
Carole
Vesely, who chairs the Stark County Suicide Prevention Coalition,
said it’s not just one incident that triggers a suicide. It’s a
series of events, which can make it tough to figure out the real
reason a person killed himself or herself...
Read
the rest of the article at Canton Repository
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