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By Mike Gervais
Register Staff
7-9-2009 Inyo County is seeing a spike in suicides this year, having exceeded last year’s total before the end of June, but whether the increased number of deaths is due to the economy or coincidence or some other factor, no one can say for sure.
According to the Inyo County Coroner’s Office the Eastern Sierra, namely Inyo and Mono counties, experienced 10 suicides last year between January and December.
As of July 2 of this year, the same region has already experienced 14 instances of suicide from Death Valley to Lee Vining.
According to Inyo County Coroner Leon Brune, Inyo County probably experienced an average of six suicides a year over the past 10 years.
In past years, Inyo’s suicide rate has been affected by visitors from out of the area traveling to arid Death Valley to end their lives.
“About 15 years ago, we had people from, back East, way out of state, coming to Death Valley to commit suicide,” said Inyo County Sheriff Bill Lutze. “One year we had something like three suicides from back East, from way out of the state.”
In recent years, however, the number of deaths of both visitors and locals seems to be on the rise throughout the county, not just in Death Valley.
“I think it’s a cyclical thing and some years are worse than others,” said Deputy Coroner Bill Stinnett. “But I wonder if it has anything to do with the economy. I can’t prove that.”
There is no evidence to support the theory that a nation’s economy affects the suicide rate, and the latest data available through the California Suicide Prevention Resource Center is current through 2006.
“Over the past 35 years, I can tell you that suicide rates go through a cycle,” said Lutze. “One year you may not have very many, then the next there could be a lot.”
Lutze said that this year’s increase in suicides “is not way out of canter with spikes that have happened over the years. With the economy the way it has been, you expect to see a lot more suicides too, but we haven’t tied any of ours to the economy. But we have seen a spike this year.”
According to Stinnett, the 14 suicides in the Eastern Sierra this year do not seem to have any relationship in age groups or geographic location.
“This year the suicides have been kind of random throughout the county,” Lutze said.
The spike in suicides in Inyo County and increased workload recently prompted Brune to request substantial pay increases for his deputy coroners, Stinnett, Scott Stell and Jeff Mullenhour.
According to Brune, the deputy coroners perform a vital service to the county at a reasonable cost, and if he were to rely on contractors rather than his deputy coroners for the work, costs would surely increase.
When requesting approval for the raises from the Board of Supervisors last month, Brune indicated that Mullenhour, in particular, has seen an increased workload because of a “spate of suicides in Death Valley National Park,” which requires the deputy coroner to travel from Lone Pine to Death Valley to do his job.
But there is another branch of the county workforce that is attempting to limit the number of suicides in the valley altogether.
“Locally we have the Mental Health Department with clinicians on call every day to take phone calls,” said HHS Program Chief Pam Blackwell. “If you need to talk to someone, there is a national hotline to call, and if you need response, there are local hotlines.”
While speculation suggests that the increased number of suicides can, at least in part, be attributed to the struggling economy, Blackwell said that anyone in the Eastern Sierra who is struggling has somewhere to turn.
“We will never deny treatment,” she said. “I know that financial problems are a factor right now, and MediCal sent letters that said MediCal isn’t going to cover mental health anymore, but that doesn’t affect us. We do crisis intervention for anyone, regardless of funding, we do MediCal and we help people who don’t have that coverage get something. We work really hard on getting them the resources they need.”
In addition to the suicide hotlines and services available through HHS, there are a number of other resources available, including support groups and one-on-one counseling.
“Suicide is not a crime, it is something a person is going through, and we are all here to work to get them the help they need,” said Sheriff Lutze, adding that 911 is an emergency resource available to anyone who feels like they need immediate assistance.
Residents may also go to the emergency room at either Northern or Southern Inyo Hospital.
“Often, (suicidal thinking) is something that is short-lived,” Blackwell said. “Sometimes someone will make an attempt, then hours later their mind changes and things open up, and I think it’s important for people to trust that there is help out there and that this too shall pass.”
Anyone who feels they should seek help is encouraged to call the national suicide hotline at 1 (800) 273-TALK or 1 (800) 992-5757 or call the local 24-hour hotline at 1 (800) 841-5011.
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