‘Listen and take them seriously’

Statistics showing an increase in suicide rates in the Mahoning Valley

WARREN -- Trauma in a person's life can carry a haunting darkness that can lead to one choosing to end it.

With an increasing amount of suicides in Trumbull County, and across the Mahoning Valley, in 2023, mental health officials are continuing their efforts to help, treat and inform as the new year begins.

Educating the population about suicidal ideation is a lifeline in itself for the general population to reverse the statistics. With a rising number of male suicides nationally, health agencies also advise the public to take every case seriously.

"There's been an extreme uptick in middle-aged men, 35 to 65," Help Network of Northeast Ohio CEO Vince Brancaccio said. "We've had more deaths in that age category and gender than others. And there's been an uptick in elderly suicides."

Data from the Trumbull County Coroner's Office shows that the number of suicides has fluctuated over the past four years. There were 25 suicides in 2020, 16 in 2021, 26 in 2022 and 32 this past year.

Last month saw the most suicides of the year in Trumbull County with five, while four were reported in both May and August.

Across the four years of data, 61% of the suicide methods were reported as gunshot wounds. Most gun-related cases involved men.

Toxicology reports suggest that in 2023, 59% of suicide victims tested positive for drugs or alcohol.

It was the highest percentage to test positive across all four years.

Identified marital statuses in 84% of the 2023 cases were reported as divorced or single. Last year's total in this demographic was the highest of the last four years.

White men also made up 63% of Trumbull County's suicides that were reported by the coroner's office.

WAYS TO HELP

Brancaccio elaborated on the uptick, recognizing that since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have made calls to talk about isolation. People were left alone in their homes without the ability to converse or spend time with friends or family. It can cause loneliness and depression, which can turn into negative thoughts.

"What people don't realize is the pandemic was very traumatic to many people," Brancaccio said. "Traumatic mentally and emotionally. So we have had an uptick in callers, and people attempting. Subsequently, you have these other things going on in our country, and in our world. It just added to people's mental, stress and anguish."

The Help Network is a private, non-profit agency that started as a drug information line in 1972 and only operated in Youngstown. The agency now provides services for Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties. Lake County is also included during after-hours and weekends.

"We've also had people call and say 'For me to cope, I've had to use substances,'" he added. "So also an uptick in the use of substances, being alcohol and / or drugs."

Known as the 211 provider, the Help Network has grown from a volunteer agency to hiring full- and part-time, paid employees.

"Many people still think all we are is a phone service, a call center," Brancaccio said. "But we also provide face-to-face services. We probably provide close to 1,000 people with face-to-face services each year."

Brancaccio added that regardless of a person's demographic or situation, all of the cases when someone describes being "sick and tired of being sick and tired," should be treated equally.

"If you would have called me four years ago, our top call would've been from people looking for food or shelter," Brancaccio said. "Now our number one call is from people who have mental health needs. These are people looking for help with their depression, their anxiety or people to talk to."

Many suicide prevention agencies advise to not offer advice or judgment, but to make people feel less isolated during crises. Another method of assisting someone having suicidal ideation is to provide them with your willingness to talk about it.

Having conversations with someone, rather than keeping silent about their state of mind, is beneficial to their confidence and understanding that they are not alone.

"Listen and take them seriously, don't just discount it, give them lip service, or tell them it will be OK," Brancaccio said about helping someone who is contemplating. "You have to explore, do they have the means? If they're saying 'I'm going to take these pills,' you don't just leave."

April Caraway, executive director of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, said her organization funds several different agencies that provide counseling, case management, assessments and other support, for people who are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts.

"We encourage our community members to reach out to us, or to one of our agencies on our website to get the help that they need," she said. "Suicide deaths have increased in Trumbull County. We're very concerned about that. We invite anyone from the public who wants to be a part of our suicide prevention coalition, to please come and join us."

The TCMHRB website lists 21 core provider agencies on its website, including Cadence Care Network, Coleman Professional Services, Mercy Health and the Help Network of NE Ohio.

The board's Director of Clinical Services, Katie Cretella, has been with the organization since October 2021.

As chair of the Trumbull County Suicide Prevention Coalition, Cretella said the organization acts as a support to those in the community who are looking to be more engaged, or families and friends who have lost someone to suicide.

"From 2017 to 2021, we were seeing a decline," Cretella said about Trumbull County. "For as long as I've been doing the data, and as a part of the coalition, we have never had a year when female deaths by suicide were higher than the males. Males are historically higher."

A sub-committee of the Suicide Prevention Coalition, Trumbull County LOSS provides local outreach for survivors of suicide. Amy Zell, director of programming and suicide prevention coordinator, also administers Grief and Loss in Motion, a peer support group for those facing loss.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal ideation, reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.