Speaking before the legislature, Sullivan County Coroner Albee Bockman recently raised concerns about mental health. Deaths by suicide have been more frequent in Sullivan County this year than in years past, with ten total deaths by suicides so far this year. Eight of the ten deaths by suicide this year occured within the last four months. 

Bockman, who has a background in emergency medical services, suggested to the Public Safety Committee that the county deploy a mobile mental health unit, staffed by counselors to respond to 911 calls alongside police. 

According to Bockman’s reports, opiate-related deaths in the county have decreased this year and he hopes that this decrease will allow the legislature to shift its focus to broader mental health issues. 

Kara Brodzinski, Director of Operations at OMH’s Suicide Prevention Center of New York, says that statewide, suicide rates typically stay around 1,700 per year. That number, she says, shows that there is still work to be done.

Brodzinski says that populations with higher rates of suicide include rural communities, working-aged men, tribal communities, and youth, particularly in the LGBTQ+, Hispanic, and Black communities. 

Stephanie Lao, Director of Suicide Prevention Workplace Initiatives at OMH’s Suicide Prevention Center of New York says that often, family members will be first to notice changes in a person which may be warning signs of suicidal ideation. Changes may include erratic or aggressive behavior or issues related to sleeping or eating. Lao encourages people to ask the question, “are you okay?” and even directly ask whether or not someone might be considering suicide. 

Brodzinski and Lao both say that everyone has a role to play in preventing suicide. 

The Office of Mental Health has rolled out a new roadmap for suicide prevention, which is dividied into five stratefic directions. The roadmap, intended as a resource both for the community and leadership, is available on the Office of Mental Health’s website. https://www.preventsuicideny.org/roadmap/