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Flathead County Suicide Rates Increasing

By Beacon Staff

The warning signs were there.

In recent weeks, 57-year-old John Parsons of Kalispell reportedly gave away possessions and had withdrawn from the public, isolating himself inside a home that had been foreclosed by the bank.

He fit the profile of a suicide risk.

The forewarnings culminated earlier this month with Parsons’ house engulfed in flames before exploding. Investigators said he had placed propane cylinders and other accelerants throughout his home and ignited a fire in an act of suicide.

Parsons, described in reports as a longtime volunteer and a steadfast friend with a great sense of humor, is another casualty of a dark reality plaguing the community.

Over the last fours years, suicide rates in Flathead County have more than tripled. In 2011, there were 27 suicides in the county. In 2008 there were eight.

“One of the highest suicide rates in the nation is right here in Flathead County,” said Joan Schmidt, a program manager at the Montana Children’s Mental Health Bureau.

Schmidt spoke about the increased frequency of suicide in Flathead County on March 20 at a town hall meeting inside the Red Lion Hotel. The gathering was part of the annual Stop Underage Drinking in the Flathead event that focuses on issues surrounding substance abuse and underage drug and alcohol use.

Suicide is rooted in a number of places, substance abuse being one of them, Schmidt said. In Flathead County last year, 13 of the 27 suicides were alcohol or drug related.

But other factors contribute as well, and the telltale signs of suicide risk often show themselves in varying degrees.

When Schmidt heard about Parsons’ death and the events leading up to it, she immediately recognized some of the clues that often lead to a tragic ending. However, most people don’t recognize the warning signs, and that’s part of the reason why suicide remains so prevalent, she said.

Over the last 30 years, Montana has consistently ranked at or near the top for suicide rates in the nation per capita, according to the state’s Department of Public Health and Human Services. And Flathead County remains one of the worst counties in the state, with the number of casualties hovering at or above the 80th percentile nationally. According to the DPHHS, there were 155 suicide deaths in the county between 2000-08. Only Missoula, with 174, had a higher number.

Suicide is the leading cause of death for Montana’s youth between the ages of 10 and 24, according to the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey. For residents between the ages of 20 and 34, 23 percent of deaths are from suicide. For adults 35-49, suicide accounts for 10 percent of deaths.

Last year in Flathead County the number of women who killed themselves was uncommonly higher than before, and the age of victims ranged from 16 years old up to 60, Schmidt said.

Over the last decade efforts have increased to address what the DPHHS has called a major public health problem. The department has tried to coordinate statewide public awareness campaigns and has proliferated education and resources as prevention efforts.

Schmidt also recommended friends and family keep an eye out for the obvious warning signs and provide “protective factors” to the person at risk, like positive feedback, support and resources to improve circumstances.