Suicides Increasing In Mentor, Lake County

The number of suicides has increased in Mentor, Lake County and across the country recently.

For example, there were three suicides all of last year in Mentor, according to the Mentor Police Department.

However, this year, three people killed themselves just in July. One of them .

Since January, there have been seven suicides in the city -- more than in the entirety of 2009 (when there were five) or 2010 (six.)

Meanwhile, in Lake County, the number of suicides has grown from 21 in 2009 to 36 last year, according to the Lake County Coroner's Office. And, with 26 already, that number will likely increase again in 2012.

And the problem is not just contained to Northeast Ohio, Rae Grady explained. Grady works for Crossroads, a counseling center for adolescents in Mentor, and is the head of the Lake County Suicide Prevention Coalition.

She said the United States had averaged about 32,000 suicides per year but that number has jumped to 36,000 in the last two years.

And the scariest part is these statistics likely do not reflect all of the suicides in Mentor, Lake County or the country, respectively.

"Suicides are notoriously underreported so any statistics are fuzzy at best," said Greg Markell of the Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board. (The ADAMHS Board funds the Suicide Prevention Coalition.)

While authorities are concerned about the increase in suicides, they are not certain what has caused it.

"Some people say it's the economy and the pressure of having reduced opportunities," Grady said. "Some say it's because we're getting better at reporting suicides. It's probably a combination of several factors."

The facts

While experts might not know what has caused the increase in suicides, they do know what leads so many people to hurt themselves.

A lot of factors -- some biological, some psychological, some social -- contribute to a person's decision to end their own life. A family history of suicide, a recent traumatic event, bullying or alcohol and drug abuse can all make a person more prone to hurt themselves.

However, the number-one cause of suicide in untreated depression, Markell said.

"This isn't a kid who get a C minus on a test or his girlfriend breaks up with him and he says, 'I wish I was dead.' This is someone seriously contemplating killing themselves," he said.

Consequently, the Suicide Prevention Coalition's biggest mission is to reach out to people who might be depressed or thinking about hurting themselves and to find them the help they need.

The coalition has found some creative ways to do this. For example, they've made coasters with information about their suicide help line.

"We're planning to distribute the coasters to bars in the next month or so," Grady said.

The coalition is also hosting a clinic on depression and suicide Sept. 28 at for anyone who works in a salon, spa or barber shop.

Because who do people tell when they're depressed -- their stylist, their barber or the people with them at the bar.

The coalition also supports a school program called Give a Hand, Take a Hand that encourages younger students to talk to older student counselors about depression and suicide.

Give a Hand is already in Mentor, Willoughby and Eastlake high schools.

"I think kids listen to kids better than they do adults," Grady said of the program.

Give a Hand also encourages students to tell an adult when they think a classmate is depressed and going to hurt themselves.

"There's that whole culture of silence because kids think they're snitching or telling. We're trying to move beyond that," Grady said.

The coalition also does presentations at local businesses and organizations.

"We've had presentations for as few as 10 people in a church basement and for as many as 1,500 at the Mentor Fine Arts Center," Markell said.

Markell added that the coalition is willing -- eager even -- to discuss the topic anywhere.

"Suicide is one of the last taboos," he said. "It needs to be talked about more than it is."

The coalition's philosophy is that the more people know about suicide, the more people will recognize the warning signs and get their friend or themselves help.

What you can do

"The more people can recognize the signs of depression, the more lives will be saved," Grady said. "Because the sooner we get someone help, the less likely they are to hurt themselves."

To that end, here are some of the symptoms of depression or warning signs that indicate someone might be thinking about hurting themselves, courtesy of the Suicide Prevention Coalition:

• sudden weight loss or gain
• sleep problems
• exhaustion
• being moody or unmotivated
• withdrawing from family and friends
• a persistent, negative attitude
• decreased self-esteem
• feeling helpless or hopeless
• feeling constantly confused
• cleaning up loose ends like saying goodbye, giving things away or quitting a job
• a sudden unexplained happiness after a long depression

Fortunately, in Lake County, there are many resources available to a person who may need help.

There is a crisis hotline that someone can call any time of day or night. If a person with suicidal thoughts calls the hotline, a trained person will assess how imminent a danger the person is to themselves.

If they seem like they might hurt themselves immediately, the person can call paramedics or police who will take them to either Lake West or TriPoint Medical Centers where the coalition has a social worker on staff all the time.

If the danger is less immediate, then the hotline will help set up a meeting with a trained clinician.

The hotline's numbers are 800-411-0105, 440-357-7300 and 440-953-8255. (All three numbers take a caller to the same place.)

Finally, help is also available to those who have lost a loved one to suicide. A support group called Chrysalis meets at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at St. Andrew Church.

The meeting is open to everyone. Those who have any questions about Chrysalis can call 440-354-0110.

For more information on suicide, visit the Lake County Suicide Prevention Coalition's web site.

The attached charts are courtesy of the Suicide Prevention Coalition.