Suicide: A Crisis In The Shadows

Throughout 2015, WBUR's Lynn Jolicoeur reported a series on suicide, which we've termed "a crisis in the shadows."

The series examined suicide prevention efforts and profiled Massachusetts residents whose lives have been affected by suicide. In the audio segment above, hear Lynn's reflections on the yearlong project, and below, find the complete series:

“I don’t hold back anymore. My brother died by suicide. My brother struggled.”

Justine Barnes

“We may not be able to control if they think about it, but we can help them control what they do about it."

Psychologist Jill Harkavy-Friedman

“It’s a very, very disparate population. You have a large population of grad students, of international students. So I think one of the challenges there is creating a sense of connectedness and community.”

Victor Schwartz, medical director of the Jed Foundation, speaking about MIT

"It’s no longer dark, and it no longer hurts. And it’s no longer painful, and it no longer has this power over me that it used to have."

Craig Miller

“We’re doing a disservice to people who are sitting in the congregation and thinking that their world is a mess and they’re in pain, and instead of embracing them and walking them through it, telling them to dismiss it by using their faith."

Bishop John Borders, of Morning Star Baptist Church in Mattapan

"I think the most effective [tool to prevent suicide] is educating the public that suicide is a public health issue, that it is largely preventable.

Alan Holmlund, director of the Suicide Prevention Program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health