IN JUST the past month, Multnomah County has seen more than five public suicide attempts. That’s an unusually high number, and each drew uncomfortable attention to an often-avoided topic.
But while public suicides catch more notice, officials across the county say the problem—an increase in suicide rates overall—goes far beyond what we can easily see.
“It’s the white elephant in the middle of the living room that no one wants to talk about,” said Portland Fire and Rescue’s Paul Corah at an October 13 press conference. “But it’s crucial we do.”
The Portland Police Bureau has responded to 214 suicides and attempts already this year—an uptick from 198 for all of last year. Additionally, officers have received 916 suicide-related calls, 65 more than in all of 2010. While it’s impossible to pinpoint a single cause, says Leslie Storm of Oregon Partnership, a nonprofit suicide and substance abuse prevention group, it’s easy to key in on an at least one overarching issue: the unstable economy.
“We know the rise is due to a combination of stresses, but the underlying stress is the economy,” she says. “And it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get better soon.”
Storm, who operates Oregon Partnership’s 24-hour suicide hotline, says she’s seen the suicide rate slowly rise over the five years she’s worked there. “A lot of people are unemployed and don’t have the right insurance for serious illnesses,” Storm says. “Mental health budget cuts don’t help.”
In tandem with the increase, Storm has watched fellow nonprofit mental health facilities close because of major state and county budget cuts. Last month, Multnomah County commissioners voted to cut $5.56 million from county mental health services. While the state returned $4.7 million, the cut still left a mark. The county’s Mental Health and Addiction Services Division (MHASD) crisis line remains intact, but the cuts have left those without insurance on thin ice.
“The county is responsible for those that are the most ill and most vulnerable,” says David Hidalgo, interim MHASD director. “And a large group of those individuals are not covered.”
With even more cuts expected in the coming year, Hidalgo says it’s time to work together with other community resources, such as police officers, city workers, and social services. Currently, MHASD is working with Portland police to create a smoother system for transferring suicide-related 911 calls to the county’s crisis line.
Oregon Partnership’s Storm says she sees community collaboration and awareness as a key piece to quelling the rising numbers.
“We need to lose the stigma around suicide and reach out. People need to know that there are resources for them, even if it’s just to talk,” Storm says. “If people can hold on, it will change.”
“The Portland Police Bureau has responded to 214 suicides and attempts already this year—an uptick from 198 for all of last year. Additionally, officers have received 916 suicide-related calls, 65 more than in all of 2010. While it’s impossible to pinpoint a single cause, says Leslie Storm of Oregon Partnership, a nonprofit suicide and substance abuse prevention group, it’s easy to key in on an at least one overarching issue: the unstable economy.”
With all due respect to Leslie Storm, I can’t help but feel that this is a bit of a whitewash and wonder why it seems so impossible to drill down more specifically? I’m sure lack of funding and resources are major part of it. Regardless, “the unstable economy” is just such a broad generalization that it almost prevents us from focusing on the major reasons why suicide rates are soaring.
For example, how many of these people recently lost their homes due to foreclosure and shady mortgage lending? How many of these people were recently in mental health facilities, but have been kicked out due to budget cuts? Or even more tragic, how many of these people were veterans?
I tend to view many of these people as victims of our sick society and it seems that the lack of reporting, the lack of discussion, and the tendency to generalize by the powers that be illustrates just how little they care about truly addressing these issues. As a person who’s family has lost a loved one to suicide, I’m under no delusion that this is something that any society can rid itself of completely, but at the same time I do think that it speaks volumes about the type of society in which we live.
I honestly don’t see what the problem here is. People are autonomous individuals and thus have a universal right to self-end there tenure on Earth, so long as they’re courteous and try not to make too much of a mess about it.
It’s the economy, stupid.