Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc.
(Publication Archives)

Community Connections, Winter 2002/2003

Society's Greatest Failure
By Joseph A. Glazer, Esq., President/CEO, MHANYS

“Suicide is not chosen;
it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain.”
- from www.metanoia.org, December 2002

This issue of Connections is undoubtedly one of our most painful. MHANYS, by definition of who we are and what we represent, spends much of its time addressing the needs of people in emotional pain -- some of the most neglected, abused and discriminated against in our society. Yet, this edition is doubly hard, in that it not only looks in that direction again, but at what is often the result of our, and society’s, greatest failure --- suicide.

From New York to India, from Canada to Afghanistan, from China to Australia, attention is growing to the fact that many, including our children are ending their own lives. Much of the attention is focused on statistics, prevalence, demographics, even trying to identify if there is an age below which suicide does not occur.

Yet, in many ways it appears that even the most rudimentary of findings are not proving to be a catalyst. People in crisis need to know that they are not alone – they need help to immediately restore the balance between pain and coping. MHANYS own cursory look at crisis intervention around the state found that New York State’s response to suicide crisis varies widely from county to county.

Some counties have suicide crisis hotlines existing alongside the traditional mental health system, although some volunteer-operated suicide prevention hotlines cannot find enough volunteers to keep their lines open 24/7. In many counties the only agency taking crisis calls is the local mental health clinic or hospital psych unit. In some counties the hotline is available 24/7 and staffed by people ready to listen.

Other counties require callers to leave a message with a message service which then pages a crisis worker who then calls the person in crisis back. In one county callers can call the county clinic during weekday work hours, but after hours have to call the sheriff who makes the decision to page a crisis worker. Some counties are willing to do counseling over the phone. One county stated emphatically they only handle emergency calls and sole purpose of the line is to determine if the caller is in need of hospitalization. Callers in some counties have access to confidential hotlines. Other counties are equipped with caller ID, can trace calls, and will contact 911 or a Mobile Crisis Team if they feel the situation is serious enough. Callers to these lines may face a visit from law enforcement or emergency personnel.

Clearly, there is no uniformity or overarching statewide plan to deal with suicide intervention.

Statistics tell us that only 15% of those who complete suicide are in treatment at the time of their death. What numbers don’t tell is why. Certainly some situations cause pain so intense that suicide can be a spontaneous decision. More likely is that suicide occurs somewhere along a spectrum of chronic pain – physical and/or emotional, when the balance tips too far.

MHANYS is committed to putting this research into action, through our programs and our advocacy. We look to all the readers of Community Connections to join us to increase the resources necessary to help people coping with the most intense of pain.

posted 1/28/03