Suicides increase again in Trumbull
Prevention coalition seeks solutions

By MARLY KOSINSKI Tribune Chronicle
POSTED: April 13, 2008

Fact Box
Methods of suicide in Trumbull County 2001-2007:

Firearms — 98
Hanging — 51
Overdose — 42
Carbon monoxide — 7
Other — 13

Anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who needs help can call the LifeLines Access Center at 330-393-1565. Or, dial 211 for 24-hour emergency services. For more information on suicide prevention, visit the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation at www.ohiospf.org.


For the second straight year, Trumbull County saw an increase in suicides, with 41 people taking their own lives in 2007.

The Trumbull County Coroner’s Office has four cases from last year still pending lab results, meaning the final number could reach 45. There were 38 suicides in 2006, which surpassed a previous seven-year high of 36 in 1999.

Of the 41 suicides last year, 33 of the victims were men and all of the victims were white. The victim left a note in 10 of the cases.

The numbers are alarming, according to Ilona Roth-Cohn, program coordinator for Trumbull LifeLines, the county’s alcohol, drug addiction and mental health services board. She also is a member of the Trumbull County Suicide Prevention Coalition, which meets monthly to try to combat the rising number of suicides.

Shelley Mazanetz, an investigator with the Trumbull County Coroner’s Office, said the most common suicide victim is a middle-aged white man. However, 17 of the suicide victims last year were between the ages of 16 and 30, and six were older than 60.

April Caraway, director of programs and community outreach for Trumbull LifeLines, said Trumbull County is seeing more suicides in the 18 to 24 age range than the state average, where most victims are in their 40s and 50s.

‘‘Here, we have a depressed economy and many young people with little or no education,’’ she said.

Mazanetz said there are certain stressors or triggers associated with each age bracket. She said relationship issues generally are the triggers for victims in their 20s, job loss is the stressor for middle-aged victims and failing health is the trigger for elderly victims.

To address each one, the coalition discussed age-specific prevention programming at its most recent meeting. Members brainstormed agencies and programs that could incorporate suicide prevention to reach a broader segment of the community.

Caraway said suicide prevention should go beyond the usual mental health and addiction service programs.

‘‘A lot of these victims have never been touched by one of our outreach agencies. There are so many avenues to deal with addiction and mental health issues, but the suicide numbers are continuing to rise. That tells us there are gaps in our programming and we need to reach the people who are at risk where they are because they probably won’t seek help,’’ she said.

Caraway said many times, suicide is an impulse decision fueled by depression, drugs and alcohol.

‘‘Their relationship ends, they’re drinking, they become suicidal. They lose their job, they’re drinking, they become suicidal,’’ she said.

Roth-Cohn said the coalition was concerned there would be a spike in suicides following the buyouts from General Motors and Delphi in 2006. That didn’t happen, but she said the county still may see a suicide spike from workers who took the buyout and cannot find another job or from workers who have been laid off this year at Indalex, General Electric and other plants.

It’s that segment of the population that prompted Trumbull County forensic pathologist Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk to seek help from a union counselor for the Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO. Union counselor Cindy Michael of Warren is trained in areas such as credit counseling, food distribution and utility assistance. The workers are referred by supervisors to counselors.

She would like to offer a class on suicide prevention in counselor training. Until then she’s asking for LifeLines’ help on teaching the signs of suicide and where to seek help.

She said through coalition discussions, she learned one of the catalysts for suicide is relationship problems.

‘‘Most relationship problems stem from financial issues and job loss. That’s where I connected the dots,’’ Michael said.

In addition, Trumbull County Suicide Prevention Coalition is looking to reach out to displaced workers through the Job and Family Services One Stop Center, Kent State University and Trumbull Career and Technical Center — places where workers may go for job training and education.

To reach out to elderly people who may be at risk for suicide, the coalition discussed holding presentations at SCOPE centers, posting fliers at the Social Security Administration office, and partnering with the Office of Elderly Affairs.

“Suicide is not just a personal issue. It’s a societal issue,” Roth-Cohn said.