Suicide survivors day gatherings planned

MERRIMACK – When someone commits suicide, which happens once every 16 minutes across the country, it is their friends and loved ones who are left to make sense of it and to pick up the pieces. That’s why national and state suicide prevention experts devote resources to helping suicide survivors cope in wake of their loved ones’ death.

National Survivors of Suicide Day is Saturday and will be observed in New Hampshire at six sites around the state. Suicide survivors are invited to gather in Merrimack, Westmoreland, Concord, Lancaster, Durham and Portsmouth to watch a panel discussion about surviving a loved one’s suicide that is being broadcast by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The discussion will tackle many of the questions suicide survivors face, including why their loved one killed themselves, what to do next and where support is available, according to the Connect Suicide Prevention Program in Concord.

Ken Norton, who directs the Connection Suicide Prevention Program for the National Alliance on Mental Illness – New Hampshire, said discussions like Saturday’s are important because it helps ease the sense of isolation many survivors feel.

“There’s a range of experiences that people can relate to,” Norton said. “We hope people feel less isolated, and that they can connect with other folks that have had a similar experience. They’re able to see the wide range of emotions and feelings that survivors go through. Different people react in different ways.”

In New Hampshire, suicide is the second leading cause of death for children and young adults and the ninth leading cause of death overall, according to Becky McEnany, the Connection Suicide Prevention Program’s community educator and prevention specialist.

In Hillsborough County, 1,086 people committed suicide between 1979 and 2006, ranging between 26 and 53 annually during that period, far more than any other county in the state, according to data from MSNBC.com.

Hillsborough County was in the middle of the pack in terms of annual suicide rate during that period with 11.3 per 100,000 people compared to 10.5 per 100,000 in Strafford County and 18.7 per 100,000 in Coos County, according to the data.

Earlier this week, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosted a presentation by a parent who lost her child to suicide. The presentation was held at Plymouth State University’s Mental Health Issues class on Tuesday, McEnany said.

To register for Saturday’s panel discussion viewing, contact McEnany at bmcenany@naminh.org or by visiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at afsp.org.

There is also a toll-free 24-hour suicide crisis number: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Joseph G. Cote can be reached at 594-6415 or jcote@nasuatelegraph.com.