Suicides in the downturn raise worries about recession’s real cost
by JoNel AlecciaLink to article
The following is an excerpt from msnbc.com. Click on link to read entire article.
“ELKHART, Ind.—Coroner John White is presiding over a sad tally in this northern Indiana county, tracking rising numbers of suicides he believes are linked to the lingering recession.
Rumors of an economic recovery may be whispered elsewhere, but here, where the downturn remains entrenched, 22 people have killed themselves this year, and two more cases were likely suicides, outpacing the county’s annual average of 16 self-inflicted deaths.
In more than a quarter of the cases, White said, distress caused by job loss or financial failure was cited as the last straw.
“We have a real problem,” said White. “They left notes specifically stating that the reason they did this was because of the economy.” …”
Tags: coroner john white, financial failure suicide, job loss suicide, lingering recession, recession-related suicide
November 10th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I wrote this in chapter 6 of “Unemployed: A Memoir.” I titled it “Reds”:
http://outsourcedamerican.blogspot.com/search?q=Reds
This was a dark road I almost traveled. Every action begins with a “thought,” and mine was a nightmare.
I hope this alerts clergy and counselors about the other hidden cost of this recession.
November 10th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Thoughts are one thing, which many of us have had throughout our lives during hard times. Actions, though, have permanent consequences and we should never let money cause us to lose sight of what’s precious and meaningful about life. That said, an absolute lack of money can seem like a black hole that we can never get out of. These are very hard times and we need to support each other in any way we can.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I fear for those who are facing crushing student loan debt, too. A few people have made comments that were pretty desperate sounding, and I made a point to encourage them to seek therapy immediately. That’s the best I can do, and it worries me to think about the millions of people who aren’t aware of our movement. Even though we discuss a lot of heavy, troubling, and upsetting things, I know that many people are relieved when they discover the movement. What about those who aren’t aware of the fact that they aren’t alone? So many of the supporters talk about how alone they felt with this problem. That’s upsetting to me, especially if someone is on the brink of committing suicide.