Suicides Leave Pain For Survivors

Suicide Rate Up

SPRINGDALE — Five people committed suicide in April in Springdale compared with eight for the 11 months before, according to police records.

Springdale residents also made more 911 calls about potential suicides — 27 for April, records show. The average for the 11 proceeding months is 12, with 10 calls made the previous April and 11 in April 2011, according to records.

There is no apparent reason why Springdale’s rate jumped so high, said Tom Petrizzo, CEO of Ozark Guidance. Ozark Guidance is a community mental health center based in Springdale with offices in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties.

“It appears to be a statistical anomaly,” he aid. “I don’t see any reason why Springdale would increase so much.”

At A Glance

Warning Signs Of Suicide

• Talking about wanting to die

• Looking for a way to kill oneself

• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose

• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain

• Talking about being a burden to others

• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs

• Acting anxious, agitated or reckless

• Sleeping too little or too much

• Withdrawing or feeling isolated

• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge

• Displaying extreme mood swings

The more of these signs a person shows, the greater the risk. Warning signs are associated with suicide, but may not be what causes a suicide.

Two of the suicide victims shot themselves, two hanged themselves and one jumped off of the Northwest Medical Center-Springdale parking deck, according to police records. All but one were male. One had been treated for cancer and one had legal and family problems, according to records.

Other Northwest Arkansas cities did not see similar increases. Fayetteville did see a higher number of suicide-related calls in April, 44, but had only nine suicides from May 2012 to April 2013, according to police records. Two Fayetteville suicides came in April. Fayetteville averages 38 suicide-related calls a month, according to records.

Rogers averages 12 suicide-related calls per month, with no spike in April, according to Keith Foster, Rogers Police public information officer. Foster, in an email, said he found records of only two suicides in the city during the May to April time period.

All of Benton County had 30 suicides in the 12-month period from May 2012 to April 2013, according to Daniel Oxford, county coroner. Three were in April, only slightly above average.

Cheryl Cox faced a tougher task than finding her husband’s body: telling the children their father committed suicide.

Gregory Blaine Cox, 31, an Army veteran, committed suicide in July 2012 after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Cheryl Cox said.

“He was suffering from depression,” Cox said. “He wanted to make the pain go away.”

What he created was more pain for his family and friends, she said.

“He committed a selfish act,” Cox said. “He was thinking about himself and not what effect it would have on us.”

Suicide rates are climbing in the United States, especially among those 35 to 64, according to a study made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate jumped 28 percent for that age group between 1999 and 2010. White men and women in that age group jumped even more, by 40 percent, the study says.

At A Glance

What To Do

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide:

• Do not leave the person alone

• Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt

• Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or the Arkansas Crisis Center at 1-888-CRISIS2 (274-7472)

• Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional

Source: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Suicide prevention in the past has focused on those 20 years old and younger, and the elderly, especially males over age 65, the report states. Of the Springdale suicides in April, four fit in the age group that increased so dramatically. The ages of the five ranged from 38 to 67.

The study by the CDC does suggest some reasons why suicide rates are increasing. One is the recession that hit in 2007, which strained the resources of people. This does seem to be a good reason, Petrizzo said.

“There is a delayed reaction sometimes to hardships,” Petrizzo said. “Maybe some people had enough money to make it for a while, even if they lost their jobs. Even though the economy has begun to recover, some people still don’t have jobs and their resources are exhausted. They hit the bottom emotionally.”

Another reason suggested by the CDC study is the aging of the baby boom generation. Baby boomers have always had higher rates of depression and suicide, the study says.

Some of the problem might be a lack of care facilities for those with mental problems, said Kathy O’Kelley, Springdale police chief.

“When we pick someone up who is obviously having mental problems, we don’t have anywhere to take them,” O’Kelley said. “They end up in jail and are back on the street the next day.”

The situation for longer-term care of those with mental problems has improved in the area, Petrizzo said, for stays of about a week.

“It’s a little behind, per capita, that of central Arkansas,” Petrizzo said, “but not much.”

In Arkansas, however, short term care is difficult, both for beds and being able to hold someone for mental evaluation, he said.

In some states, a mental health counselor can approve a 24-hour hold for an evaluation, Petrizzo said. In Arkansas, a hold for an evaluation has to be approved by a judge. Judges usually require the testimony of a doctor, he said.

The number of suicide reports might start climbing, Petrizzo said, because of a new law passed in the recent Arkansas legislative session. Act 12112 requires mental health service providers to notify police if a patient threatens to harm another person or himself.

“I think, in the past, there has been many times when a person has threatened to commit suicide and the police were not called,” Petrizzo said.

People should be aware of warning signs that might lead to suicide, said Jenni Kirstein, development director of the Arkansas Crisis Center. Many people tend to ignore the possibility and try to carry on without help, she said.

The center hosts a Survivor of Suicide support group. Cox, a member, said the center has been a huge help.

“We cry, talk and tell stories about how our lives have been affected,” she said. “We have a common bond. What we share together will help.”

A Rogers woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said the group helps to wash away the stigma that some people give to those connected with suicides. Her father, sister-in-law and best friend committed suicide in the last 15 months, she said.

“People just shut up about suicides,” the anonymous group member said. “They don’t want to acknowledge it happened. The survivor group realizes the more talk, the more healing.”

Leaders of the Survivors of Suicide group can be reached through the Crisis Center at 1-888-CRISIS2 (274-7472).

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