YOUNGSTOWN — Until about 12 years ago, life was flowing smoothly and happily for Sandy Williams and her family — then April 25, 2011, came.

“He had talked about this before, but we didn’t believe it,” Williams said, referring to her father voicing a desire to end his life, which he did on that date which was two days before his 75th birthday.

Williams, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation’s board chairwoman, shared the pain associated with the loss of her father during a presentation Thursday morning in the Mahoning County Courthouse basement.

Sponsoring the gathering, “How to Identify when it’s More than Just the Holiday Blues,” was the Mahoning County Mental Health & Recovery Board.

The one-hour event’s primary aim was to call greater attention to the rise in the suicide rate especially among adults age 70 and older via discussing warning signs and exploring ways people can be more proactive in preventing such tragedies.

Williams recalled that while at her office, one of her parents’ neighbors called to inform Williams that her father had shot himself. Even though one of her uncles took his life before that, she knew nothing about suicide at the time of her father’s death, Williams remembered.

Outwardly, however, her father didn’t seem like a likely candidate for suicide because he had a high-paying executive position with the Kroger Corp., a sunny and witty disposition and a positive outlook. Nevertheless, he also suffered from prostate cancer after retiring, began to withdraw from his favorite people and activities and voiced his desire not to be a burden to others, Williams explained.

Her father’s story also calls attention to the problem of an increased number of senior citizens ending their lives. The suicide rate in the U.S. is about 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people, but jumps to 43.7 per 100,000 in those age 75 and older, Williams noted.

Factors that compound the problem are that most prevention efforts are aimed at young people, many cultural messages from mass media reinforce that growing older is undesirable, many older people have increased isolation and too few protective barriers, and the false societal notion that the suicide of an older person is less tragic than that of someone who’s younger, she continued.

Many seniors also experience in varying degrees what Williams called the five D’s: depression, disconnection, disease, disability and deadly means available. Combine those with fear, despair and other negative emotions “and there’s the perfect storm for suicide,” Williams observed.

She also noted that, unlike many younger people who tend to be more impulsive, most older people who end their lives are highly detail-oriented.

Duane Piccirilli, the Mahoning County Mental Health & Recovery Board’s executive director, noted that the suicide rate has climbed locally during the past few years. In 2021, 41 people in Mahoning County took their lives; in 2022, it was 44. So far this year, 49 have died by suicide, according to the board.

Piccirilli urged others to take a proactive stance in dealing with someone who may be contemplating suicide. He also stressed the importance of being direct with those who might be considering ending their lives while dispelling the myth that doing so will give them the idea to follow through.

“If you see something, say something,” he said, adding that suicide “has nothing to do with dying and everything to do with pain.”

He also stressed the value of connecting those who might be suicidal with helpful resources, such as calling 988, the national suicide prevention line.

“I don’t want anyone to ever say, ‘We can’t help you,'” Piccirilli added.

Some warning signs to look for in a person who could be suicidal include unusual amounts of isolation, unexplained mood changes, giving away money, heirlooms and other prized possessions and an increase in alcohol and substance use, Tony Coder, the Columbus-based Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation’s executive director, noted.

Coder said that 1,766 Ohioans died from suicide in 2021, the last year for which statistics are available. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the problem partly because more people were isolated longer, he explained.

Suicide usually is a frightening and unpleasant topic, but it needs to be faced head-on, Coder said, adding that the holidays often can increase one’s sense of loneliness and despair.

“Check with somebody during the holidays and after the holidays,” he advised.

Contrary to some people’s beliefs, though, suicide rates tend to be higher in the spring than during the holidays, partly because many people — even those in crisis — are with family and loved ones during Thanksgiving and Christmas, giving them a renewed sense of hope. In spring, as the weather improves and more people are outdoors, however, feelings of hopelessness, despair and sadness can further blossom, Lee DeVita, the Mahoning County Mental Health & Recovery Board’s chairman of the suicide prevention coalition, noted.

He also discussed the coalition’s Local Outreach for Suicide Support (LOSS) effort, launched in January, in which volunteers reach out to family members who lost a loved one to suicide. Of the 49 suicides so far this year in Mahoning County, about half of the families have been contacted, DeVita said.

In addition, he advised using FaceTime and other aspects of technology to reach out to loved ones who might be lonely or isolated during the holidays, as well as contacting family members of those who may not have internet service.

Williams warned that missing the signs of suicide, or buying into the myths surrounding it, can have deadly consequences.

“If you ignore the signs – take it from someone who knows – it will be to your peril,” she said.

For further assistance, contact the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation at www.ohiospf.org. Also, survivors can reach DeVita with Mahoning County LOSS at lee.devita@mahoningcountyohio.gov., or call 330-746-2959, ext. 7975

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