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It's our third day looking into suicide in Vanderburgh County.  As we delve into uncovering why the suicide rate is so high in southwest Indiana, after speaking with numerous local officials and mental health leaders, we've come to learn there is no clear answer to this question.  That's because the people who would be most likely to explain their reasoning are the ones who have completed suicide.  This leaves family and friends searching for answers as to why their friend or loved one decided to end their life and if there was something they could've done to prevent it.

According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, suicide usually stems from a mental illness whether diagnosed or not.  The act of suicide is often a desperate attempt to control symptoms of a mood disorder, a medical disorder.  Symptoms of extreme sadness and helplessness are not part of person's true self, but symptom of the disorder.  Mood disorders are treatable with medication and psychotherapy, and many of the people we've spoken with throughout our research say that pursing both is best.

Important Information:

Cameron and I spoke with Vanderburgh County Coroner Annie Groves Monday about suicide rates in the Tri-State area. In a report produced by Annie, from January to June of this year, 24 people committed suicide. Most are white males between the ages of 20-29 and 50-59.

And although disturbing, it was not surprising, to learn that many people who complete suicide did so because of money and job issues. The economy is still lagging and many people have lost their jobs and are struggling to find work. Annie says people are straining to pay the bills and provide for their families, essentially rendering them with feelings of hopelessness.

What was also interesting to learn was that many of these people have sought out anti-depressants but very few actually had counseling. Annie said that receiving both is necessary and proven to reduce the chances of that person attempting suicide.

We’re going to speak with Jo Gilreath of Survivors of Suicide and then we’ll head over to the University of Southern Indiana to speak with students participating in a suicide awareness campaign.

Friday is National Suicide Awareness Day, the FOCUS team and WNIN-FM is kicking off a huge multi-platform project focusing on suicide awareness, prevention, and grief management. We'll be interviewing Annie Groves of the Vanderburgh County Coroners Office today. Check back later for more!