"Chelan County suicide rate is alarming; Grief Place helps families cope" by Common Ground

Chelan County suicide rate is alarming; Grief Place helps families cope

Blog: Common Ground

January 17, 2012

The suicide rate in Chelan County for the past two years is more than double the national average, and the folks at the Grief Place are raising the alarm about the problem and also providing some critical support for families who are dealing with the loss of loved ones.

This Thursday, they're beginning a six-week series of group session to help people who have lost a loved one to suicide. The sessions will be held at the organization's newly remodeled space at 1610 5th Street in Wenatchee.

Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris tracks suicides in the county. He saidthat from 2006 to 2009, the county averaged about seven suicides per year. But that jumped in 2009 to 17 in 2010 and 18 last year. Some are unexplained, others are because of financial or domestic issues, and others involve elderly people who have health problems and "don't want to deal with it any more," said Harris. The suicide rate nationally is 11.3 per 100,000 people. Chelan County's rate in the last two years has averaged nearly 25 per 100,000, an alarming statistic.

Margie Jones, the board president of the Grief Place said this is a wake-up call for the valley. Jones has a intimate understanding of the issue, having lost a son to suicide. She knows how difficult the recovery process can be. Jones and Executive Director Karen Sheppard sat down to discuss the situation this week.

They are mystified by the local suicide rate and had no explanation. "What's going on in this valley?" asked Sheppard.

They know of no other program in the area for helping those who lose loved ones to suicide. They are concerned that the community is not aware of this issue and that so few family members seek help."People need to know that you can survive this," said Jones. It's difficult these days to determine those who have committed suicide. Newspaper obituaries rarely mention it, the coroner doesn't release the names of those who die that way, and so they basically find out through word of mouth.

Jones talked about how isolating it is for individuals who have lost a loved one this way. They often don't want people to know what happened and so they bottle it up inside and don't deal with it emotionally. There's a social stigma attached to it and its not uncommon for people to offer unkind opinions, they told me.

The program the Grief Place put on allows people to talk about what they're going through in a confidential and supportive manner. The service is completely free and supported by donations. They run this operation on a shoestring because dealing with death seems to be something that our society doesn't like to deal with and so people tend to avoid the difficult subject.

Jones and Sheppard believe that this subject needs a broader conversation that includes health care professionals and mental health specialists.

"It's just a mystifying thing," said Jones of the decision people make to take their lives. For the families who are left behind with very few answers and lots of doubt and sometimes feelings of guilt, shame and even blame, thank goodness for the Grief Center's program.

More than once, a person who has sought assistance through the grief process has told them that the Grief Place saved their lives. For these Samaritans, that's worth more than anything.

Contributions can be made to the Grief Place, PO Box 4564, Wenatchee, Wa 98807. They're also looking for volunteers.

Here's a link to their web site:

Grief Place web page

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