News Summary

SPRINGFIELD — Attempted suicides in Clark County jumped last year from 73 in 2006 to 123 in 2007, according to statistics released by the Sheriff's Office.

The 68 percent increase may have to do, in part, with the way some drug overdoses are recorded by law enforcement, said Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly.

"Some of these are overdoses with heroin or other drugs," he said.

Such incidents are recorded as attempted suicides when the person who's ingested the drugs is incapacitated and cannot tell deputies how or why the overdose occurred.

There were 12 suicides in 2007, twice as many as in 2006, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Psychologist John Layh of Layh & Associates in Yellow Springs said in some cases, economic factors can add to feelings of uncertainty and despair, and could be a factor in attempted suicides.

"Things have been depressed — foreclosures, the stock market, those things play a role," he said.

Clark County was ranked sixth in the state for foreclosure filings in 2006, one for every 127.5 people, according to Policy Matters Ohio. In 2005, Clark County was eighth. Data for 2007 is not yet available.

Layh said his office has seen a rise in people seeking psychological services.

"We added two new psychologists to the staff last year," he said.

Dr. James Perry, CEO of the Clark County Mental Health, said his organization hasn't noticed an increase in patients in the past year. But he agreed that hard times can have an effect on a person's mental well-being.

"We see it when the economy is poor, jobs are a problem," he said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0360 or vlough@coxohio.com.