Several month ago I began researching suicide for an article, as it became obvious after several prominent suicides that this crisis was on the rise. Then, my niece attempted suicide and I couldn’t bring myself to write the article. This morning I got the notice that on Tuesday she had taken her own life.
After her first suicide attempt, I asked her why. What could be so bad that you would want to take your own life, leaving friends and family? She told me that she had built up regret and despair over the low quality of service to others that she was putting out in life, and despair over the times she could have accidentally hurt another person. She said she truly believed the world would be better off without her.
She lived in Las Vegas, and after her first suicide attempt was unable to find a job and then she became homeless. She was terrified. Unable to function at a job after her suicide attempt, she applied for Social Security Disability and was told the application could take two years to get approved. Her previous job held her position, but should she return to work she would lose her ability to receive Social Security Disability.
She talked about her mental health, and how after her attempted suicide the hospital provided classes on how to function in the homeless process, and how to manage her medications.
What they could not offer was mental health counseling, and housing or placement in a rehabilitation facility as it was at full capacity. With no job, no social security, she was left without food and medical.
If you were thinking, “Well, that’s Las Vegas. Connecticut is better positioned to care for our residents,” you would be incorrect in that assumption.
In an article in the Hartford Advocate in September, the Connecticut Hospital Association’s Dr. Linda Durst, a psychiatrist at UConn Health, pointed to one troubling trend in the state. “The state’s suicide rate is increasing at a faster rate than the national average. The state’s suicide rate increased by 45.2% between 1999 and 2022 compared to the national rate of 30.3% in the same time period,” Durst said, citing statistics from USAFacts.org. Durst also cited concerning national trends regarding youth suicide and women using more lethal methods in committing suicide, but men are more likely to die by suicide than women. “Women make more attempts, but men die more,” she said, adding that because women are starting to use more lethal methods, a higher percentage of them are dying.
The impact of COVID is still affecting youth, Durst added, citing isolation, exposure to social media, online bullying and suicide chat groups online. “In certain areas there have been more mental health issues in youth,” she said. “There is a correlation between more symptoms, more depression and more anxiety and higher rates of suicide.” Youth suicide is also linked to substance use, she added, explaining it is linked to impulsivity which results in higher numbers of attempts and higher suicide rates.
Durst said warning signs to look for regarding suicide include:
- a change in behavior such as becoming despondent, withdrawn and not engaging in usual activities.
- they may appear hopeless
- they may become anxious and irritable and give possessions away.
In the Hartford Advocate article, Dr. Durst said that it is important that people talk about feelings of suicide. “People who are feeling that way feel alone and embarrassed,” she said. “If they feel that they can talk about it, that helps relieve the burden and get resources to help.”
The State of Connecticut Department of Children lists three urgent crisis centers in the state, available to families of children who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis but do not require emergency department level of care. Licensed and funded by DCF, the centers are aimed at diverting youths and their families from making visits to emergency rooms to address behavioral health crises. Current capacity for the four centers is 72 daily slots. They are strategically located across Connecticut and are operated by:
- The Village for Families and Children in Hartford;
- Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven;
- The Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut in New London;
- Wellmore Behavioral Health in Waterbury.
All of the facilities are grossly underfunded to serve at risk populations, and with just 72 slots available they are not able to meet the need.
My niece’s biggest fear that she routinely communicated to me was that of dying on the street because she was homeless. She did not want to live the last days of her life as homeless. She said that the odds of her dying in the streets and being harmed by violence were high, and she had no solution and nowhere to turn.
A study of homelessness in Las Vegas listed 7,900 people in 2025. Homelessness in Connecticut has increased by 10% in the past year, with hundreds of children living in homeless shelters, people living in tents and cars, and more seniors going without shelter. There are 3,735 people recorded as unhoused in the state — referring to those who have sought help. The shelters and soup kitchen are full with the Coalition to End Homelessness stating that they have to turn away 1 in 5 people because there is so much need.
In a November Stratford Crier article, Jocelyn Ault of the First Congregational Church Social Justice Team, reported on a town-wide meeting on behalf of a cross-sectional Stratford Homelessness Task Force—a group of 18 community members with diverse backgrounds who came together to imagine how Stratford might create a meaningful, inclusive community conversation, and expand our shared commitment to addressing homelessness and housing. Some of the sobering facts revealed during this meeting include:
- 1,103 Stratford residents called 211 this year because they were experiencing a housing crisis, and 27% did not receive the shelter support they needed.
- 134 people in Connecticut have died this year as a direct result of experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness should not be viewed as being a result of mental illness, or addiction. Much of the homelessness in Connecticut is a result of lack of housing and higher than the national average for rents. Though Connecticut does have a higher minimum wage rate, working full time with that minimum wage you would still have difficulty finding affordable housing.
Suicide is devastating to family, friends, and the community. If you recognize any of the signs listed in this article, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline), a network of more than 200 state and local call centers funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and administered by Vibrant Emotional Health.
In Connecticut, the 988 Contact Center is funded by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and is operated by the United Way of Connecticut/211. According to DMHAS website: “988 Contact Center services include rapid 24/7 access to trained crisis contact center staff who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance use and other mental health crises. They also provide referrals to resources, and perform warm transfers to mobile crisis services or emergency services as needed/desired. Studies have shown that after speaking with a trained crisis counselor, most people served by the Lifeline are significantly more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed and more hopeful.”
To reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, people can call or text 988 or chat at:
www.988lifeline.org or https://www.preventsuicidect.org/get-help/ct-988/
The Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board states: “Preventing suicide requires everyone’s commitment, from the individuals struggling with their own thoughts of suicide up to the systems and communities that support them.”
