Suicides Spike in N.J. Town

An "extraordinary amount" of people have committed suicide in Jefferson Township

Five suicides and two attempted suicides in 2009 have led officials in a small New Jersey town to urge depressed residents to seek help.
      
Jefferson Township Police Capt. Eric Wilsusen calls it an "extraordinary amount" of suicides and attempts, reports the Daily Record. He says the rural Morris County community usually has one or two suicides a year. Three have occurred within the last three months.
      
The victims were adults ranging in age from 19 to 72. All but one were male.

"That's the problem: one, two, three in a row, that's something we never see," Wilsusen said Wednesday, adding there was "no pattern whatsoever."
     
There were three suicides in Jefferson in 2007 and one in 2008.
      
Mayor Russell Felter and police are urging anyone who is experiencing depressive symptoms, or who might know someone who is, to get help. With the holidays being a high-suicide season in general, town authorities wnt residents to know they are not alone.

A 2-1-1 resource on the township's Web site and information on the Mental Health Association of Morris County are available, as well as the National Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.

 Wilsusen said police couldn't find a reason for the increase in suicides.

"One I know lost his job prior, and most family members and friends said they didn't see it coming," he said.

Julia Wimmer, associate director of the Mental Health Association of Morris County, told the Daily Record that suicides typically happen either right before or after a specific holiday.
 

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