SEYMOUR — An extensive investigation by Seymour police resulted in the tragic revelation last week that a car crash in July in which a vehicle went into the Housatonic River was the result of an intentional act — a homicide-suicide that took the life of a mother and her adult son with special needs.
The Valley Indy reviewed investigative summaries from the case. Police came to their conclusion after interviewing an eyewitness at the scene, along with family, friends and colleagues. They also reviewed digital records, and information the medical examiner’s office.
The documents mention that the woman suffered from depression and felt overwhelmed, in part, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the additional stress it placed on her life.
As the pandemic drags on for a year, there are reports showing the toll pandemic stress is having on the nation, from higher rates of substance abuse to more children suffering from anxiety and/or depression.
Given the nature of what happened, The Valley Indy reached out to Pam Mautte, the director of the Alliance for Prevention and Wellness, a program of BHcare, for information on how people can get help locally.
This is the second pandemic-connected interview Mautte granted to The Valley Indy. Click here to listen to a podcast she recorded with the Indy last year, in the early days of the pandemic.
Valley Indy:This publication reported an awful story last week about a crash that police revealed was a homicide and suicide. I read the police documents and I don’t know if a second story about the investigation does more harm than good. But the fact the investigative documents mention COVID-19 really struck me. How has the pandemic impacted mental health locally? What are you seeing?
Pam Mautte: “I think it is important to remind people there are resources available if they are struggling. The pandemic has hit everyone differently. It’s really changed so many dynamics. There are so many uncertainties connected to the pandemic, and it’s increased a lot our mental health and behavioural health concerns.
We’ve seen an increase in anxiety. We’ve seen an increase in alcohol and marijuana use.
There’s also been an increase in screen time for youth and adults. There’s an online fatigue that’s happening.
Families are together, but for some there’s isolation that comes from being with the same people all the time. That can increase stress, along with irregular schedules.
With all that is going on, we have to really make sure people are aware there are resources out there. There are resources available that can help people stay safe and healthy during these unprecedented times.”
VIS:What are some barriers that prevent people from getting help?
Mautte: “There is still a stigma and shame associated with these things. We have to make people more comfortable. But people should know it’s OK to reach out, and that help is available.
Some people are scared to reach out because of finances. They might think ‘I can’t afford this. I don’t have health insurance.’ But there are services available that work around those issues.”
VIS: We’ve talked in the past about different options people have to take that first step toward help. What are some of the options?
Mautte: “Connecticut just launched an ACTION line (1 – 800-HOPE-135 or (1 – 800-467‑3135). That’s for adults 18 and over experiencing a mental health crisis.
Connecticut also launched the CTStronger.org website. It’s another resource for people who are struggling. It gives them a live coach to work with. That coach can connect them to resources or agencies. The issues might be related to general wellbeing, a housing situation, COVID-19, or it could be a family needing help with food resources.
There’s also a “text-to-talk” line. It’s one of my favorites, especially as a resource for suicide prevention. People can text 741741. A person might be struggling and they might not be able to verbalize it to somebody. They can send an anonymous text, something they may feel more comfortable doing.
They can text with someone who might be able to give them new strategies, or link them to resources.
That’s a national number and it’s been very successful.
There’s information out there, but, again, it’s making people aware.
Qpr Flyer March 2021 by The Valley Indy on Scribd
VIS: I didn’t realize there was a texting option. That’s good to know, as we’re all on our phones.
Mautte: People who need help can also call 211 in Connecticut. There’s also the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 1 – 800-273-TALK.
Connecticut has a help line, 1 – 800-563‑4086 (that is the state’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ 24-hour hotline) or we have that new ACTION line I mentioned earlier.
(There’s also an online chat option available for people, too: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/)
VIS: In December I interviewed John Saccu of Derby Youth Services about a mental-health related program that he helped to organize with BHcare’s help. Saccu was worried about the impact COVID-19 could have on suicide rates.
Mautte: “Our program, during this pandemic, has been trying to do bi-weekly QPR, which is ‘question, persuade, refer’ (a technique used in suicide prevention training).
It’s a basic suicide prevention training course available to anyone. It’s for people to learn signs and symptoms of someone who may be at risk. The program teaches people how to offer hope to someone who may be experiencing signs or symptoms, and helps to bridge them to services.
We’ve also been doing ‘Storytime with Gizmo.’ That’s a story time in which parents can sit with their children, and the children can create a mental wellness action plan. Because we know it’s not only adults who experience isolation, loneliness, anxiety and other mental health challenges during the pandemic. We’ve offered that out several times in the community and it’s been successful. (Click here to track events on Facebook.)
VIS: In addition to immediate family and friends, an event such as this can ripple through an entire community. When something like this happens in a town, how can the community as a whole deal with it?
Mautte: It is a very sad event. The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services divides the state into different regions. We all have Regional Suicide Advisory Boards. We all have ‘postvention’ (after the suicide) training.
With postvention, you try to engage as many people as possible from the community to make sure there are best practices in place after there has been a loss. Follow up across the community is important. When a tragic event like this happens, we want to make sure that everyone in the community stays safe.
You also have to think about the complexity of this issue. Someone who struggles with a mental health or a behavior health condition, on average they delay treatment for up to 10 years. There is a lot of secrecy.
Suicide is a public health problem, but we don’t like to talk about suicide. People are scared that if we talk about suicide, someone will take their life. It’s important for a community to understand that is a myth. We need to help survivors with their loss. We need to talk about it. The idea is to prevent future suicides.
The family members and other survivors have guilt. So there is survivor support to help them. That is very important. PreventSuicideCT.org has information. Go there and click on ‘resources & survivors.’
Other survivors include coworkers, people from the social circle, people from faith-based organizations, even the first responders who came to the incident.
This has an impact on so many. It is complex.”
