For the first time since 2009, the number of suicides in Luzerne County has dipped below 50, new statistics show.
In 2016, a total of 49 county residents took their own lives, compared to 67 the previous year, the county coroner’s office said.
There were 35 suicides in 2009, but the number has ranged from 50 to 57 annually from 2010 through 2014.
“Clearly with 49 deaths, there is still progress to be made, but I’m glad to see our numbers are reducing,” said Tara Vallet, deputy administrator of the Luzerne-Wyoming Counties Mental Health and Developmental Services agency.
Her agency stepped up efforts to target the problem several years ago, concerned the numbers would continue to climb.
Working with other advocates, the agency discovered most of the victims were adult men not getting help through county mental health services.
“Over the last few years, we particularly tried to target that group,” Vallet said.
Of the 49 county suicides last year, 80 percent, or 39, were men. Most of the male victims — 79 percent — were between the ages of 20 and 59.
Through grant funding, the agency ran suicide-prevention television ads during sports programs, plus public service announcements before movies in area theaters, Vallet said.
Brochures and billboards also urged people contemplating suicide to dial 211, which links them to counselors at HelpLine.
‘Touchy subject’
Vallet suspects at least some of the victims were unwilling to seek help because they were ashamed. And that’s a common obstacle — getting people to overcome the stigma of mental-health problems.
“So many people experience depression during their life, and it’s no different than having high cholesterol. Depression is not because of a weakness, and it is treatable,” she said.
Twenty-six of last year’s 49 suicides were caused by self-inflicted gunshot wounds, the statistics show.
Vallet said it’s a “touchy subject” because she doesn’t want gun owners to become defensive and wrongly conclude she is trying to take away guns. But she wants more gun owners to consider gun locks and storing guns in safes instead of glass cabinets that can be smashed.
“Those two things could have a huge impact. Sometimes all it takes is a second to change someone’s mind,” Vallet said.
Family members also should be on alert if a gun owner exhibits signs of depression or uncharacteristic behavior, although some suicide victims hide their inner feelings from loved ones.
The Northeast Suicide Prevention Initiative says people should encourage discussion if they observe someone showing signs of being at risk for suicide. Those signs include increasing isolation, irritability or talk of hopelessness.
The county coroner’s office has said financial struggles, health problems and chronic depression are among the reasons cited for suicides it has investigated.
