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Economy a factor in suicide calls

 
BY AARON CRESPO | Published: May 11, 2009    Comment on this article Leave a comment

Workers at suicide hot lines are dealing with more tense situations this year, and the economy may be to blame.

Counselors at Heartline, a 24-hour center that answers calls for national and state suicide hot lines, have seen a significant increase in the number of calls this year.

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Getting help
→The national suicide hot line:

(800) 273-TALK

→The Oklahoma suicide hot line:

(800) SUICIDE

→Heartline 24/7 Careline: 848-2273

→Health and services help line: 2-1-1

"In the last 45 to 60 days, there’s been an influx of people,” said Tom Taylor, director of development for Heartline. "We’re seeing people that have a social network, that have family and friends and income resources that are taking their own life, too.”

From January to March, the call center received 1,401 suicide-related calls, up from 950 during the same period last year.

It’s too early to determine how many of those calls are followed by suicides or attempted suicides because that information can take up to a year to gather, said Jessica Hawkins, prevention program manager for the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

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