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Out of the darkness, into the light
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| The second annual Out of Darkness walk in Hudson underway Saturday. It featured speakers, music and a releasing of balloons. The walk raises money for — and brings attention to — suicide prevention. (Andrew Amelinckx/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers) |
Over one hundred march against suicide
By Andrew Amelinckx
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
HUDSON — For the second year in a row, area residents took to the streets of Hudson Saturday to help shine a light on a deadly problem that takes more than 33,000 lives a year across the United States.
The “Out of the Darkness Walk” saw 132 area residents walk down Warren Street to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention and education.
“Ninety people a day die of suicide (in the United States),” said Deborah Davis, who spoke at the event.
She put it in a different context, suggesting that if 90 people died in plane crashes everyday of the year the government would certainly be looking into it.
Davis is the treasurer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Capitol Region.
The AFSP, which sponsors the Out of the Darkness Walks nationally, is a non-profit dedicated “to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide,” according to its Web site.
Davis said no one else was doing the kind of research the AFSP does, including research into treatments for people who are depressed and suicidal.
“Ninety percent of all people who kill themselves have a treatable mental illness,” said Davis.
The Columbia County Mental Health Director Michael O’Leary said mental illness was very much a physical problem and like other physical problems there were treatments available.
Among those walking Saturday was Supervisor William C. Hughes Jr., D-Hudson, who is on the county’s Health and Human Services Committee. He said he came out to the event to help publicize the problem of suicide and to let people know that there is help available to them through county mental health.
He also came because he lost a fishing buddy to suicide.
“He was vivacious… loved life,” he said, adding that no one understood the extent of the problems his friend was experiencing.
Gary L. Spielmann, who also spoke at the event, said that for every person who dies by suicide, which he called a “silent epidemic,” there are between six and 10 people who are profoundly affected by that death.
Spielmann is a consultant for suicide prevention to the New York Bridge Authority, a board member for the Capitol Region AFSP, as well as being a survivor. “I lost my wife 21 years ago,” he said.
Joseph Oathout, a Purling resident and an Army veteran, spoke about the escalating suicide rate among returning veterans.
The suicide rate for veterans, said Oathout, was twice that of non-veterans.
“It happened in Vietnam, and it’s happening again,” he said.
In 2005, more than 6,250 U.S. veterans committed suicide according to an analysis of death statistics commissioned by CBS News.
Oathout knows from his own experience. He said he attempted suicide a number of times.
“I didn’t lose a loved one...I’m the loved one,” he told the crowd.
The co-chairs of the event, Barbara Othote and Mary Ann Horner, lost sons to suicide.
“The bottom fell out of my world,” said Horner of her son’s death.
The two women ended up forming a support group in Columbia County called “Grieving Survivors of Suicide Support Group,” with Father Gus Calvo, the pastor of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Stockport.
Calvo said when people are affected by a suicide they often turn inward and “go into darkness.”
“We have chosen to walk out of the darkness together,” he said of the event. “You are not alone.”
According to Horner this year’s event raised between $15,000 and $16,000 so far. She said people can continue to donate until Dec. 31 and can do so by going to the organization’s Web site at www.outofthedarkness.org.
“We were very pleased with the turnout,” she said.
For more information on the Grieving Survivors Support Group call (518) 828-6016.
Survivors can also contact the AFSP Capitol Region chapter at (518) 899-0021.
If you are depressed and need to speak with someone call the Columbia County Mental Health Department Crisis Line at (518) 828-9446 or the Samaritans Suicide Prevention Center at (518) 689-4673.
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx call 518- 828-1616, ext. 2267 or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com
To comment directly on this story, go to www.registerstar.com.
The “Out of the Darkness Walk” saw 132 area residents walk down Warren Street to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention and education.
“Ninety people a day die of suicide (in the United States),” said Deborah Davis, who spoke at the event.
She put it in a different context, suggesting that if 90 people died in plane crashes everyday of the year the government would certainly be looking into it.
Davis is the treasurer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Capitol Region.
The AFSP, which sponsors the Out of the Darkness Walks nationally, is a non-profit dedicated “to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide,” according to its Web site.
Davis said no one else was doing the kind of research the AFSP does, including research into treatments for people who are depressed and suicidal.
“Ninety percent of all people who kill themselves have a treatable mental illness,” said Davis.
The Columbia County Mental Health Director Michael O’Leary said mental illness was very much a physical problem and like other physical problems there were treatments available.
Among those walking Saturday was Supervisor William C. Hughes Jr., D-Hudson, who is on the county’s Health and Human Services Committee. He said he came out to the event to help publicize the problem of suicide and to let people know that there is help available to them through county mental health.
He also came because he lost a fishing buddy to suicide.
“He was vivacious… loved life,” he said, adding that no one understood the extent of the problems his friend was experiencing.
Gary L. Spielmann, who also spoke at the event, said that for every person who dies by suicide, which he called a “silent epidemic,” there are between six and 10 people who are profoundly affected by that death.
Spielmann is a consultant for suicide prevention to the New York Bridge Authority, a board member for the Capitol Region AFSP, as well as being a survivor. “I lost my wife 21 years ago,” he said.
Joseph Oathout, a Purling resident and an Army veteran, spoke about the escalating suicide rate among returning veterans.
The suicide rate for veterans, said Oathout, was twice that of non-veterans.
“It happened in Vietnam, and it’s happening again,” he said.
In 2005, more than 6,250 U.S. veterans committed suicide according to an analysis of death statistics commissioned by CBS News.
Oathout knows from his own experience. He said he attempted suicide a number of times.
“I didn’t lose a loved one...I’m the loved one,” he told the crowd.
The co-chairs of the event, Barbara Othote and Mary Ann Horner, lost sons to suicide.
“The bottom fell out of my world,” said Horner of her son’s death.
The two women ended up forming a support group in Columbia County called “Grieving Survivors of Suicide Support Group,” with Father Gus Calvo, the pastor of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Stockport.
Calvo said when people are affected by a suicide they often turn inward and “go into darkness.”
“We have chosen to walk out of the darkness together,” he said of the event. “You are not alone.”
According to Horner this year’s event raised between $15,000 and $16,000 so far. She said people can continue to donate until Dec. 31 and can do so by going to the organization’s Web site at www.outofthedarkness.org.
“We were very pleased with the turnout,” she said.
For more information on the Grieving Survivors Support Group call (518) 828-6016.
Survivors can also contact the AFSP Capitol Region chapter at (518) 899-0021.
If you are depressed and need to speak with someone call the Columbia County Mental Health Department Crisis Line at (518) 828-9446 or the Samaritans Suicide Prevention Center at (518) 689-4673.
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx call 518- 828-1616, ext. 2267 or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com
To comment directly on this story, go to www.registerstar.com.
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