A surge in suicides this year in Porter County is prompting Coroner Vicki Deppe to urge persons considering suicide to seek professional help immediately. Deppe is also urging the family and friends of the possibly suicidal to know the warning signs and not to hesitate to intervene.

Deppe told the Chesterton Tribune on Thursday that it would be incorrect to call this year’s spike in suicides an epidemic. The prevalence of suicide, like that of fatal motor vehicle accidents, fluctuates every year for reasons which are never knowable, she said, and sharp rises or dips, especially over relatively short periods of time, have something of the fluky about them.

“It’s up and then it’s down,” Deppe said. “Suicides were high in 2007 but went down in 2008. And now they’re way up. You can never really figure out why the suicide rate changes from year to year.”

This much is clear. Twenty-two suicides have been recorded in Porter County through June 12, compared to only 15 in all of 2008 and 29 in 2007, the latter total the most recorded in the last 14 years. Over the last 13 years Porter County has averaged 19 suicides per year.

Seven of the 22 suicides--fully 32 percent--have occurred in Duneland. Six of them--22 percent--occurred in May, with five in a 10-day span that month. Fifteen of the suicides--68 percent--were by gunshot; two by motor vehicle accident; two by carbon monoxide poisoning; and one each by hanging, drug poisoning, and drug toxicity. The vast majority of the victims have been male: 17 or 77 percent.

As Deppe noted, “the ages are all over the place,” although the victims have tended to be past middle age, with nine or 41 percent of them aged 55 or older. The youngest was a 16-year-old boy; the oldest, two 66-year-old men. Two were aged 18-24; three, 25-34; three, 35-44; and five, 45-54.

In short, the victims have tended to be older men who used firearms. But their motivations, so far as Deppe has been able to determine, have been personal and unique. “People say it’s the economy but we dig into these very deeply and there is no common thread,” she said. “In some cases it appears that the overriding factor was business-related. But in none of them has there been just a single factor. Some have had relationship problems or trouble at work or they’ve been chronically depressed.”

All of the victims have been linked in one particular way, however. “When we ask whether the victims have sought help, whether they were on anti-depressants, whether they were seeing a therapist, the answer has been No,” Deppe said. “People aren’t getting help, and that’s what scares me. We’ve been told by survivors that the victims seemed much better in the last week or so. That’s because they made a decision.”

“I spend a lot of time talking to the families after the fact,” Deppe added. “I encourage the survivors to seek counseling. Once one person in a family commits suicide, then it becomes a viable option.”

Deppe is encouraging folks to learn to recognize the warning signs of suicide. From the website of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

*Threatening to hurt or kill oneself or talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself.

*Looking for ways to kill oneself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means.

*Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide when these actions are out of the ordinary for the person.

*Acting recklessly or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking.

*Increasing alcohol or drug use.

*Withdrawing from family, friends, or society.

*Feeling anxious, agitated, or unable to sleep or sleeping all the time.

*Experiencing dramatic mood changes.

*Seeing no reason for living or having no sense of purpose in life.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has these tips for the family and friends of the possibly suicidal:

*Be direct. Talk openly and matter-of-factly about suicide.

*Be willing to listen. Allow expressions of feelings. Accept the feelings.

*Get involved. Become available. Show interest and support.

*Offer hope that alternatives are available but do not offer glib reassurance.

*Take action. Remove means, such guns or stockpiled pills.

*Get help from persons or agencies specializing in crisis intervention and suicide prevention.

Persons considering suicide--or who know someone considering suicide--can seek immediate help from the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800) 273-8255, a toll-free confidential 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you.

Or call the United States National Suicide & Crisis Hotline at (800) 784-2433.

Posted 6/19/2009