New numbers provide more evidence that lost jobs and financial ruin are still weighing heavily on the minds of people nationwide, as well as in Houston.
The Houston Crisis Intervention center said suicide calls are way up from a year ago. The Crisis Center said suicide calls in the first six months of this year are up 220 percent from the same time in 2009.
Many of the calls have been related to job loss and financial fears.
Many will remember the economic recession's most prominent act of discontent, when Joe Stack flew an airplane into the Austin IRS building last February. He left behind a lengthy suicide note describing his gripes with government, corruption, bailouts and a recession that pilfered his savings.
While this is a drastic example, the Houston crisis hotline said it is part of the increasing desperation call operators are hearing.
"Either people who are considering suicide themselves or family members worried about loved ones committing suicide," said Crisis Intervention of Houston Executive Director Shari Koziol, describing the people the organization is hearing from. "Â…It just tracks perfectly with the economy, with the jobless rate, with the sort of accumulated desperateness that people have."
Out of more than 1400 suicide calls this year, crisis line representatives said many are related to jobs and the economy.
"Their main issue is that, 'I need to feed my family and I don't know where to go,"' said Brenda Fitch, director of operations for Crisis Intervention of Houston.
With the help of government stimulus money, the crisis hotline has also added a jobs hotline that has helped more than 2300 people since it opened last November. It provides resume help, advice on going back to school or job resource referrals.
"That personalized discussion with an individual has been able to preempt what could have been a, you know, suicide," said Dr. Jonita Reynolds, CEO of Gulf Coast Community Services Association.
The crisis hotline number is 713- HOTLINE. The jobs hotline is 713-533-WORK. Both lines are open 24/7.
The Houston Crisis Intervention center said suicide calls are way up from a year ago. The Crisis Center said suicide calls in the first six months of this year are up 220 percent from the same time in 2009.
Many of the calls have been related to job loss and financial fears.
Many will remember the economic recession's most prominent act of discontent, when Joe Stack flew an airplane into the Austin IRS building last February. He left behind a lengthy suicide note describing his gripes with government, corruption, bailouts and a recession that pilfered his savings.
While this is a drastic example, the Houston crisis hotline said it is part of the increasing desperation call operators are hearing.
"Either people who are considering suicide themselves or family members worried about loved ones committing suicide," said Crisis Intervention of Houston Executive Director Shari Koziol, describing the people the organization is hearing from. "Â…It just tracks perfectly with the economy, with the jobless rate, with the sort of accumulated desperateness that people have."
Out of more than 1400 suicide calls this year, crisis line representatives said many are related to jobs and the economy.
"Their main issue is that, 'I need to feed my family and I don't know where to go,"' said Brenda Fitch, director of operations for Crisis Intervention of Houston.
With the help of government stimulus money, the crisis hotline has also added a jobs hotline that has helped more than 2300 people since it opened last November. It provides resume help, advice on going back to school or job resource referrals.
"That personalized discussion with an individual has been able to preempt what could have been a, you know, suicide," said Dr. Jonita Reynolds, CEO of Gulf Coast Community Services Association.
The crisis hotline number is 713- HOTLINE. The jobs hotline is 713-533-WORK. Both lines are open 24/7.
