York County holds the sixth highest rate of suicides among the Commonwealth. 58 people in York County have committed suicide this year. Suicide prevention experts say the area has developed a suicide culture. In fact, it’s the number one cause of traumatic death in York County. More than homicides and more than drug overdose.
Lucy Cadwallader’s a suicide survivor. She says, “My role here as a survivor is helping people understand what they’re going through with grief.”
She’s a survivor because her son, Daniel, took his life in 2010. She says, “He got into a place that was dark and he saw no other way out.”
Lucy said her son’s doctor could have tried harder to treat his depression. She says, “He said, we’ll I’m not apt to change medications, so why don’t we give it about a month and my son was dead two weeks later.”
It’s time experts say could save a life.
Cindy Richard is the chair of the York County Suicide Prevention Coalition. She says there’s a “lack of being able to get into see a psychiatrist or psychologist within a week from the time they’ve been diagnosed with a mental health illness.”
Richard says mental illness, such as depression, is a major risk factor for suicide. Like any disease, spreading awareness will help.
Richard says, “We need to be suicide talkers. We need to use the word suicide, need to talk to people so they know it’s okay for them to go and get help and to talk about it.”
…While giving hope to survivors like Lucy.