You may have heard as depression sets in around the holidays, the suicide rate increases. The Centers for Disease Control says that idea is simply a myth. Here in the east, one town had more suicide attempts than usual recently, but the police department says officers have been trained to get people the help they need.
Thursday, 3 days before Christmas, there was a report of an attempted suicide in Swansboro in Onslow County. Police say in less than 10 minutes the woman was talked out of jumping from a bridge and her life was saved. Swansboro Police say they've received 3 calls about self-inflicted injuries in the last 7 days. That's a much higher call volume than the national trend. According to the CDC, December is the month with the lowest numbers across the country of suicide attempts.
Swansboro police Chief Ed Parrish says this is unusual, and officers are trained in crisis management.
"You want to calm them down- want to let them know you're not there to arrest them. You're there to help them. What can we do to help you? You want to of course keep them from harm-and not be aggressive," said Chief Parrish
In Onslow County the crisis hotline is available 24 hours a day. That number is (910) 353- 5118.
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