What you should know about the rising suicide rate in Tom Green County

SAN ANGELO — Most of Becca Nelson Sankey's memories of her stepfather are good ones. She can recall the feeling of being lifted onto his shoulders when she was a little girl, the way he made her laugh, and how he watched as she rode her bike down the street.

"I remember one Christmas Eve, he and a friend got up on the roof and clamored around to sound like they were Santa's reindeer. He was very nurturing," Sankey said. "He wasn't even my biological dad, but he stepped in, and that made his love even more meaningful."

Like pages in a scrapbook, Sankey flips through each memory as a reminder that her stepfather, John Nelson, was a good person before his death in the early 1980s.

Sankey can recall that moment vividly; she walked into a room and discovered Nelson's body after he completed suicide. Sankey was 6 years old.

"Losing my dad at such a young age, in such a horrific way, shaped my outlook on death," Sankey said, noting that her life was forever altered as well in the 30-plus years since her stepfather died.

"I always tell people who ask, 'What it's like to lose someone to suicide?', that the devastation of it is akin to throwing a hand grenade into a china shop," Sankey said. "You can pick up the pieces and put some of them back together, but nothing will ever be the same."

Sankey's loss is felt by others, who include a growing number of local residents in 2021. A recent spike of suicide deaths in Tom Green County has left mental health experts concerned.

The numbers were low in the beginning of this year. There were three people who died by suicide in Tom Green County during the first six months of 2021 — two in January and one in May.

Since June, six people in the county have completed suicide, with the most recent Saturday, July 24, for a total of nine deaths.

"Unfortunately, we did expect this spike to occur," said Shelby Joseph, Director of the Zero Suicide program for West Texas Counseling & Guidance.

Joseph and other health officials believe that as the world returns to 'normal' post-pandemic, more people might choose to die by suicide. During times of social upheaval, she said a "camaraderie of crisis" forms.

"People are struggling, but there's a feeling that they're struggling together," Joseph said. "While the COVID virus may not be gone, many people have resumed their usual schedules ... leaving those with untreated mental health conditions and few protective factors feeling hopeless." 

With five months left in the year, Joseph and other mental health leaders are concerned the suicide rate in Tom Green County could once again climb higher than both the state and national average.

Suicide is a leading cause of death in Texas and the United States

Suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for more than 47,500 fatalities in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That same year, 12 million U.S. adults gave serious thought to ending their lives, 3.5 million made a plan, and 1.4 million attempted to die by suicide. Fatalities caused by suicide were the fourth-leading cause of death for people age 35-44, behind heart disease, cancer and unintentional injury, according to the CDC.

In Texas, almost three times as many people died by suicide in 2018 than in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. 

In 2020, there were 3,891 Texans who ended their own lives. On average, one person died by suicide every two hours in the state — a rate of 13.38 per 100,000 individuals, which was higher than the national average.

Those numbers were more stark in Tom Green County.

Suicide rate in Tom Green County higher than state, national average

Since 2000, Tom Green County has been above the national and state average in suicide deaths — which are both about 13-14 respectively out of 100,000 people per capita.

There were 26 residents In Tom Green County who died by suicide in 2018. In the following year, there were 22 people who ended their lives, with 14 deaths occurring in 2020.

"There are several reasons why our suicide rate might be higher," Joseph said, listing reasons that included a lack of access to mental healthcare and access to health insurance.

"We also see a huge method (for suicide) in our area with gunshot wounds," she said. "The thing about attempting suicide with a gun is that it's 89-90% fatal ... our deaths are higher when we have more lethal means, and more access to those means, unfortunately.

Out of the 94 people in Tom Green County who have died by suicide from September 2016 through July 2021, more than half — 49 people — have used a firearm to end their lives.

"I think part of it might be that we live in a rural community," Sankey said. "There's this generational narrative that asking for help is a sign of weakness when it's actually the opposite, or you need to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, even if you don't have any bootstraps."

"Until we get through to people that there is hope, and you can feel better, we're not going to see widespread change in the suicide rate here. We have to keep talking about it," she said.

Sankey has indeed been talking about suicide, making it a personal mission to speak to anyone who will listen in order to hopefully reduce the number of suicide deaths in Tom Green County to 'zero.'

"Zero is the only acceptable number for suicide deaths," Sankey said.

What suicide surviving family members want you to know

Sankey is now a member of the LOSS Team in San Angelo, a group of volunteer survivors of suicide who, together with mental health professionals, assist people after a loved one dies by suicide — often within 24 hours. 

"It's often the darkest day of their lives," Sankey said. "We provide them with resources and let them know what help is available, and let them know we're there for them."

For Sankey, providing support as quickly as possible to people whose loved one has died by suicide is a crucial part of the healing process.

"Survivors need support, and we may need support the rest of our lives," Sankey said, who noted that talking about their loved one becomes an important part of the healing process.

"People will assume that we don't want to talk about it, that we don't want this person's name mentioned, and it's exactly the opposite," Sankey said. "You want to hear the stories about the funny things they did. You want to hear their name said out loud. You want their memory to live on."

Who to contact in a crisis in San Angelo

There are several phone numbers people in crisis can call outside normal business hours, which include the following free and confidential hotlines:

Call: 911  — Emergency Services Operator, or

• 325-653-5933 — MHMR Services of the Concho Valley Crisis Line
• 800-273-8255 — National Suicide Prevention Lifeline / Veterans Crisis Line
• 888-628-9454 — Linea Telefonica Nacional De Suicidio
• 325-949-5722 — River Crest Hospital
• 325-653-6741 — Shannon Medical Center
• 325-949-9511 — Shannon South / Shannon Medical Center
• 866-488-7386 — The Trevor Lifeline, Crisis Intervention for LGBTQ+ Youth

Text:

• Text "Home" to 741741 — Crisis Text Line
• Text any message to 838255  — Veterans Crisis Text Line

San Angelo offers multiple outlets of support in dealing with suicide

There are several dedicated organizations for helping San Angelo residents deal with varying aspects of suicide, which include the following:

Zero Suicide program at West Texas Counseling & Guidance

The Zero Suicide program of West Texas Counseling & Guidance provides rapid access to counseling services for persons experience overwhelming depression, suicidal thoughts or intentions, self-harm, or a mental health crisis.

There are therapists available to meet with clients in crisis situations on a same-day basis. Those who need to make an appointment can do any of the following: 

• Call: 325-486-8255 (325-486-TALK)
• E-mail: info@wtcg.us
• Visit online: www.wtcg.us

Urgent services are available Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Those in crisis can visit the following locations at West Texas Counseling & Guidance in San Angelo:

• 36 E. Twohig (6th Floor of the Cactus Hotel)
• 242 N. Magdalen
• 133 W. Concho, Suite 102

The Concho Valley Suicide Prevention Coalition

The Concho Valley Suicide Prevention Coalition is a community effort to prevent suicide through the increase of awareness, education, and screening.

Meetings are held every month in which survivors of suicide can discuss their personal experiences. Those interested in participating in the group can email cvspinfo@wtcg.us or call 325–944-2561.

Survivors of Suicide (SOS) support group

Survivors of Suicide (SOS) support group is a peer support group for those who have been closely impacted by a suicide loss, according to West Texas Counseling & Guidance.

The group has two co-facilitators — a survivor of suicide and a licensed therapist. The SOS group is not a therapy group. Members of the group receive support, guidance, understanding, compassion, comfort, resources, belonging, and social interaction from others who have lost a loved one to suicide.

The SOS support group meets weekly on Tuesdays. If you would like to attend or support this group, please contact call 325-944-2561.

The LOSS Team of Tom Green County

The LOSS Team is a group of volunteer survivors of suicide and mental health professionals who are trained to respond to scenes of local suicides.

People who have lost a loved one to suicide can call the LOSS Team of Tom Green County at 325-939-0956.

The LOSS Team of Tom Green County goes to the scenes of suicides 24 hours a day to provide immediate support, instill hope, and provide information about resources to those who need it.

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John Tufts covers enterprise and investigative topics in West Texas. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.