The number of suicides in Lake County has stayed more or less flat over the past 18 months, but officials fear the worst is yet to come.
Officials believe factors such as financial hardships and isolation related to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as others that specifically impact veterans in the county, will lead to an increase in suicides.
That trend is already manifesting in the veteran community, officials said. The county has seen four veterans commit suicide in the past month, with the most recent on Sept. 13.
The Lake County coroner’s office said from February 2020 to this month, there have been 104 suicides in the county. From 2016 to 2019, the county saw anywhere from 62 to 69 suicides per year. In 2020, that number increased to 72. This year, through August, there have been 45 suicides in Lake County.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said a lack of resources, a stigma around mental health and substance abuse are factors that lead to suicide. Financial issues and increases in domestic violence have also been noted as causes, officials said.
At the Lake County Suicide Prevention Task Force, a nonprofit organization that aims at providing outreach and programs for those at risk of suicide, officials said mental illness during the pandemic, particularly anxiety and depression, has led to an increased need for mental health services.
Sandra Gomez, the task force chairperson as well as a psychologist and health educator, said that Lake County’s government has done well in providing the community with needed resources that prevent suicide. That’s proved to be helpful, she said, as the number of people looking for mental health resources has increased significantly.
Across the area, counseling services are seeing their waiting lists grow, she said. Even with increased services, Gomez said many are still reaching out for help, but are unable to get it.
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“Already, we see the huge number of people who have been affected by the pandemic with depression and anxiety,” Gomez said. “Many people who want access to a counselor today, they cannot.”
For veterans, suicide has increased dramatically in recent weeks. Andrew Tangen, superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Lake County, said in a typical year anywhere between three and seven veterans commit suicide. In the past four weeks, four veterans have done so, he said.
Throughout the pandemic, many veterans have struggled with housing issues and loss of employment, as well as emotional and relationship distress, Tangen said. But, he added that a unique factor that seems to be impacting both veterans and active duty service members alike is the fallout from the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. He said both for him and other veterans, it’s been hard to watch.
In response, his department has worked to get information and support to the 35,000 veterans in the county.
“I spent almost three years of my life in Afghanistan,” he said. “I would definitely say the stuff we’re seeing in Afghanistan is a contributing factor.”
Even with suicides in general having not increased by much, Gomez said she’s personally worried going forward. She said suicides typically don’t spike during crises themselves. Instead, they increase after the event once people are able to assess how much damage it did to their lives.
“Sometimes when you’re in a crisis, you’re in a ‘crisis mode,’ and you’re just trying to survive.” she said. “But when the crisis is over, is when really this impact is (seen) … when you realize the things you lost throughout the crisis.”
Tangen is also worried about the recent trend in veterans’ suicides continuing. He said experts and officials he’s around in the veterans community were warning about an uptick in veteran suicide being a possibility at the outset of the Afghanistan fallout. So far, he believes that is being proven correct.
“Everybody is under so much stress and so much burden right now,” Tangen said. “I think we are entering a very dark time with the veterans community.”
Stigma about seeking help for mental health also persists. Gomez said there are many families, particularly in the Latino and Black community, that see mental health issues as “taboo.” This goes as far in some cases as a suicide attempt taking place, but the family not wanting to talk about it.
Tangen said financial assistance, job support, mental health and drug abuse counseling are all things his department will be trying to make available. For Gomez, it’s about her organization being prepared for what it expects to come. Training, outreach and various events, such as its annual 5K Walk for Awareness and Suicide Prevention on Sept. 25, are all tools officials hope will help.
“We as an organization are prepared … to provide tools to the community, and to be ready in case that huge number of increases in suicide that we are expecting comes,” Gomez said.
Those feeling like they need help are encouraged to call Lake County’s 211 service, or the national suicide hotline at 800-273-8255.