Mass Suicides leave Indiana county mourning and mystified
Pastor Dale Morgan
Mass Suicides leave Indiana county mourning and mystified*
By Jessie Halladay, USA TODAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Julie Amos never heard a gunshot, but she did hear
her husband's labored breathing as she came up the stairs. He was dying
in their bathroom.
Jeffrey Amos, 50, shot himself in the head Feb. 11. The father of two,
who had lost his job, became one of a number of suicides in Vanderburgh
County that has left families grieving and county officials searching
for answers.
"I didn't see it coming," Julie Amos said. "I knew he was sad."
Suicides in the southwestern Indiana county of 173,000 usually don't
exceed 30 a year. There have been 15 since Jan. 1 — nearly triple what
Vanderburgh County had experienced at this point in 2006.
If the pace continues, Vanderburgh County's annual rate per 100,000
people would be 43. That's about three times Vanderburgh County's usual
rate and four times the state rate. The national rate, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is 11.1.
Two other deaths are under investigation and are likely to be ruled
suicides, said Donald Erk, Vanderburgh County coroner. At one point a
few weeks ago, Erk said, his office was responding to a suicide about
every 95 hours.
"These are not statistics that you're proud of," said Annie Groves,
chief deputy coroner.
No one has come up with a pattern that would link the suicides, Erk and
Groves said. There have been no large-scale layoffs, no natural
disaster, no pressure from a countywide catastrophe that, when coupled
with life's normal problems, might make living seem unbearable for some
people.
The suicides include a 24-year-old man who hanged himself from a high
school flagpole, a 76-year-old man who shot himself in his front yard
and a 42-year-old woman who overdosed on drugs.
Suicide clusters occur, said Alex Crosby, a CDC epidemiologist, but they
are "relatively rare." He said research has shown that less than 5% of
suicides happen in clusters and often in those situations there is no
one cause.
Erk said relationship issues played a role in seven of the deaths and
health was a factor in three.
The Vanderburgh County suicides follow some national patterns:
•All but three victims were men, and males are four times more likely to
die from suicide, according to the CDC.
•Guns were used in six of the deaths, and CDC statistics show that
nearly 52% of suicides are committed with a gun. Two of Vanderburgh
County's suicides were done by hanging and seven with drugs.
•The suicide rate nationally also has increased, from 10.8 per 100,000
people in 2003 to 11.1 in 2004, said Gail Hayes, a spokeswoman for the
CDC's Injury Center. The CDC does not have more recent statistics.
The Vanderburgh County coroner's office has begun testing each victim to
see whether drugs or alcohol are present. All have tested positive,
Groves said.
Lanny Berman, head of the American Association of Suicidology in
Washington, said drugs and alcohol are often involved in suicides —
either as a long-term addiction or a method to get courage.
While Vanderburgh County officials focus on a reason for the spike,
others focus on prevention.
"It's a great concern," said Janie Chappell, head of the Southwestern
Indiana Suicide Prevention Coalition. "We need to look at what we can do
with our limited resources."
In April, coalition members — representatives from mental health
agencies, public schools, higher education and the coroner's office —
will be trained in how to talk about suicide. They will then meet with
community and business groups to educate them.
Maryann Joyce, executive director of Mental Health America in
Evansville, said the training will help expand the coalition's reach.
"Suicide has a devastating effect on families and communities," Joyce
said. She said it's vital for survivors to talk about the effects, which
is often difficult to do because of the stigma attached to mental
illness and suicide. "It's a more complicated grief," she said.
Although the cause of the increase remains a mystery, Erk does not want
to rely on chance to bring it to an end. He wants to understand why his
morgue has been so busy. "That's your goal. By simply understanding
what's going on, you'll be able to come up with a solution that's
viable," he said. "The goal is to obviously touch on some things and
prevent some of this."
Halladay reports daily for The (Louisville) Courier-Journal