Every Day a Suicide in Connecticut

The 371 suicides in Connecticut last year were most since 1991, when Connecticut's chief medical examiner's office reported 362 suicides.  Suicides increased to 371 in 2011 from 358 in 2010. There were 283 suicides among men in 2010 and 75 among women. In 1991, there were 362 suicides – 290 involving men and 72 involving women. The economic downturn is cited as a possible cause of the increase.  New Haven County had the highest number of suicides last year with 99, followed by Hartford County with 87. The most recent national figures show Connecticut ranked 47th in suicides among states in 2009 with a rate of 9 per 100,000 people.

In Connecticut, the Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation has created the National FRESH-CHECK Day to honor all college students in our country who are feeling the strain of a new environment, living situations, pressures, and the world of college-life - in an effort to prevent suicides.  Eastern Connecticut State University hosted the organization's  first FRESH-CHECK Day earlier this month.