Our View: Preventing suicides in Bristol County

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http://www.heraldnews.com/article/20150713/OPINION/150718832

There's a concerning trend plaguing Bristol County: More white middle-age men in the area are committing suicide than their peers statewide. Now, District Attorney Tom Quinn and Bristol County Regional Coalition for Suicide Prevention Director Annemarie Matulis are teaming up to call attention to the issue in hopes that those contemplating taking their lives know how to access the help they need.

Our View: Preventing suicides in Bristol County
By Herald News Editorial Board
Posted Jul. 13, 2015 at 6:00 PM

There’s a concerning trend plaguing Bristol County: More white middle-age men in the area are committing suicide than their peers statewide. Now, District Attorney Tom Quinn and Bristol County Regional Coalition for Suicide Prevention Director Annemarie Matulis are teaming up to call attention to the issue in hopes that those contemplating taking their lives know how to access the help they need.

Quinn and Matulis plan to release a report next Monday detailing the county’s suicide statistics and highlighting the suicide prevention resources available. While there are many reasons for this trend, suicide prevention activists believe it may be driven by a range of issues from recent cuts in local mental health counseling resources, the region’s continuing economic slump and the opioid crisis that continues to hit Bristol County particularly hard.

The good news is that the number of suicides declined slightly statewide from 588 in 2011 to 572 in 2013. But in Bristol County, from January 2012 to 2015, the number of suicides among white, non-Hispanic men continued to increase.

So what factors are driving these numbers? Men may feel cultural stigmas that may discourage them from seeking help when they are suffering emotionally, mentally and psychologically. The scientific consensus is that not seeking help can make men particularly prone to carrying out suicidal thoughts.