It is true. The holidays can be a hard, stressful time for many. Darkness, cold weather, solitude or forced closeness with relatives, pressures around gift-giving and a myriad other winter holiday-specific issues tend to come up this time of year. Though most people feel merry, whether the time of year or the political climate, it is also perfectly normal to get depressed during the holidays.
What is false, and we are happy to help put to rest, is the myth that suicides spike around this time of year. According to the Centers for Disease Control, November and December are the months with the fewest suicides. This fact does not diminish the deep losses felt by loved ones of those lost to suicide or the real need in our communities and region to start talking straight about the complex causes of suicide among youths, men and women, especially the elderly.
Southwest Colorado has a higher suicide rate than the rest of the state, which in turn has a higher suicide rate than the rest of the nation. Region 9 Economic Development’s 2016 Southwest Colorado Healthcare Index indicates 21 suicide deaths were reported in the five-county region in 2014 – nine each in La Plata and Montezuma counties, and three in Archuleta County. From 2008 to 2014, the region experienced 149 suicide deaths – 20 in Archuleta County, 71 in La Plata County and 58 in Montezuma County. Statistics for Dolores and San Juan counties were unavailable. Statewide there were 6,664 suicide deaths during those years.
As was reported in a story in The Washington Post earlier this month, La Plata County has seen death rates increase for white women in midlife. In Montezuma County, there have been 13 suicides so far this year, including two adolescents. On average, there are 12 suicides per year in the county.
We know the past few years (and months) have kept pace with the earlier statistics and that one death to suicide is too many. Recent teen suicides in Cortez and Dolores point to a continued need for a dialogue on prevention and crisis services, and connecting youths and adults with the resources they need.
In August, El Pomar Foundation and its Southwest Regional Council convened a regional stakeholder group to begin this discussion. Responding to the recent increase in the number of suicides throughout the region, R. Thayer Tutt, the foundation’s president said that the council is currently exploring ways to support organizations that are effectively providing mental health services to the young people of Southwest Colorado.
Prevention services that train the larger community to notice and respond to people when they are having a difficult time are being offered by the Piñon Project in Cortez, the Southern Ute Community Action Program in Ignacio and Axis Health System in Durango. Axis’ new Senior Reach program is designed to train lay people to make referrals on behalf of seniors about whom they may be concerned.
This type of preventive care requires a much wider view and all of us looking out for one another. If you see someone struggling or changes in someone you care about, reach out and talk to them. Ask them how they are and if they need help. It is this type of community care we need not just during the holidays, but every day of the year.
