Jun 10, 2008 10:59 pm US/Central
Medical Examiners See Increase In Suicides
(WCCO)
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The number of suicides in the state's largest county has also gone way up recently. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office reports a 35 percent increase in the first four months of the year.
CBS
Suicides rarely get much media coverage, but they happen in staggering numbers. In Minnesota, the suicide numbers are more than four times higher than the numbers for murders.
In 2006, the state reported 127 homicides compared with 550 suicides.
Recently, suicides in some local communities have been going up even more. One example is being seen at the morgue in Hastings, Minn. On a recent Monday morning, Regional Medical Examiner Dr. Lindsey Thomas and her staff came to work to find four autopsies waiting for them after the weekend.
"For us, suicides are really the most difficult types of deaths that we deal with," said Thomas.
One case involved the suicide of a young woman who had a history of medical illness.
"We don't know yet what kind of the tipping event was that caused her to do this," said Thomas, who has seen a lot of suicides this year. In April, there were 12 suicides which are more than double the monthly average of five suicides handled by her staff.
The number of suicides in the state's largest county has also gone way up recently. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office reports a 35 percent increase in the first four months of the year. The rising numbers concern, but don't surprise, the executive director of SAVE, which stands for Suicide Awareness Voices of Education.
"The rate of suicides has increased in this state every year for the last seven years," said SAVE Executive Director Dr. Dan Reidenberg.
He believes the economy may be one factor in the increase.
"You lose your self-esteem, you lose your identity of who you are. You lose a career path," said Reidenberg. "And then you have the fact that you can't provide for your family. You can't provide for your spouse, you can't provide for your kids."
Like the earlier case Thomas handled at her morgue, mental illness is often a key factor.
"In 90 percent of the cases is a diagnosable mental illness or substance abuse problem," said Reidenberg.
Shame often keeps people from getting help.
"We need people to feel comfortable enough to say, 'Boy, I'm not doing very well. How can you help me?'" said Reidenberg.
Senior citizens have the highest rate of suicides but SAVE also reports an alarming increase involving young people.
Janet Benz lost her teenage son, Christopher, just months before he was on track to graduate from high school.
"It was a very spontaneous action and it had a very adult consequence," said Benz. "There's just a lot of whys to why this happened?"
Benz was at work early last year when she received a terrible call from Christopher's father.
"He said Christopher had been shot," she recalled.
Benz cherishes memories of a 17-year-old son who loved baseball and looked forward to college. She now channels her grief toward educating the community about how to protect against suicide, and how to recognize warning signs.
"I think we need to educate parents so that this doesn't happen to even one more child," she said.
Benz is a nurse who is focusing on suicide awareness as part of a masters program. She is also coordinating a baseball tournament set for July 11 in her son's memory. Three people who received organs transplanted from Christopher will be at the tournament.
If you know someone who needs help, there is a 24-hour phone line available. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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