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09/02/2022 12:30 PMClinton Human Services (CHS) will hold a presentation on one of the top issues facing Clinton: the high rate of suicide in town. The event will be held at the Henry Carter Hull Library on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.
When CHS Director David Melillo joined the department in 2018, he was immediately greeted by some tragic news.
“Right after I was hired, a young man died by suicide. While we were still trying to figure out what we were going to do as a department, a second young man from town died by suicide,” said Melillo.
Sadly, Melillo said that over the four years since then, the department has become aware of several more people in town who died by suicide.
“Many people in town are aware of this, but not many people talk about it,” said Melillo.
In an effort to help start an important conversation about what can be done to curb the issue as well as empower people with the information needed to help someone who may be at risk, Melillo said that CHS along with the PTA, Families Helping Families, and the library have come together to host the event on the Sept. 21. The discussion is aimed at adults and high school aged students.
The event is the first in a planned series of talks officially called Clinton Community Conversations. It will will feature a presentation by Melillo as well as guest speakers Ann Irr Dagle, the co-founder and President of the Brian Dagle Foundation and a board member of the Connecticut Chapter of The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention; and Chris Carlisle a Clinton parent and resident. The event is free but registration is required. Those interested can register at events.hchlibrary.org.
“We really want parents to hear the message of what’s happening,” said Melillo who added he is hoping for a strong turnout. “We’re really hoping some positive actions come out of this,” said Melillo.
A Complicated Problem
The stats are startling. According to a UConn study published in 2017 that studied the time period of 2010-2014, Clinton was the leading municipality in suicides and suicide attempts that resulted in hospitalization per capita. The study indicated that Clinton had a rate four times above what was expected for a town of its size according to Melillo. In the years since the study came out, Clinton has continued to lose people to suicide.
Melillo said that the majority of cases involved young men aged 18 to 24. That raised two questions: Why Clinton? And why men?
“To the first question, the only thing I can say is that suicide tends to reoccur where it already occurs,” Melillo said, meaning Clinton is stuck in a vicious cycle where one suicide makes the next more likely.
The second question is harder to answer. Melillo said that while high school girls report higher instances of being depressed and higher instances of suicide ideation, males are the ones dying by suicide at higher rates.
“Looking at how men are socialized, they don’t ask for help or want to show weakness. It’s something that’s changing, but it’s still an issue,” said Melillo.
CHS prevention coordinator Ben Eaves told the Harbor News that breaking the stigma of men not talking about how they feel “would go a long way” to helping find solutions to the problem. ’
“We find that, as a community, we can do more,” said Eaves.
Going Forward
Melillo said that beyond the presentation on Sept. 21, the department will take more actions. CHS will hold seminars on QPR training – an evidence-based 90-minute class that teaches people how to question, persuade, and refer someone who may be suicidal as well as how to recognize the signs of someone who may be considering suicide.
“It’s good because you don’t have to be a professional to use this training and help some,” said Eaves.
Melillo said that the department will also soon be kicking off a men’s support group.
“We want to make sure they feel like they have somewhere to turn to for help and maybe that will help lessen the problem,” said Melillo.
Melillo said that he is also interested in hearing what actions attendees think should be taken moving forward. “We want Clinton Community Conversations to continue. We have some topics in mind but we want to get feedback first,” said Melillo.
More information about upcoming programming will be posted on the department Facebook page.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or other forms of self-harm, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or at 1-800-273-8255.