Advertisement

Bristol County Suicide Spike Not Just 'A Bump In The Road'

Bristol County is seeing a surge in suicides.

On Monday, the Bristol County Regional Coalition for Suicide Prevention and the Bristol County District Attorney's office released data on the extent of the issue in the county.

In the last three and a half years, 171 people in the county have died by suicide.

  • 2012: 35 confirmed suicides; 25 men and 6 women
  • 2013: 44 confirmed suicides; 29 men and 15 women
  • 2014: 58 confirmed suicides; 50 men and 8 women

The rash of suicides in Bristol County has affected mostly men in their early- to mid-50s. The number of men who have died by suicide has increased 72 percent over the past three years. These men often suffer from depression and substance abuse. And when they seek help, they are unable to find inpatient residential care.

"What we have happening in Bristol Country is not a bump in the road, and what we have happening is not a pothole. We have a sinkhole happening here in this county," said Annemarie Matulis, director of the Bristol Country coalition.

There have been 34 confirmed suicides, 22 men and 12 women, so far this year. This means the county is on track to match the 2014 statistics or potentially surpass them, the coalition and DA's office announced Monday.

Matulis says people close to someone who has died by suicide become themselves more prone to taking their own lives.

Resources: You can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and the Samaritans Statewide Hotline at 1-877-870-HOPE (4673).

This article was originally published on July 20, 2015.

Related:

Headshot of Fred Thys

Fred Thys Reporter
Fred Thys reported on politics and higher education for WBUR.

More…

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close