Public Suicides Not Abnormal, Sgt. Says

Over the past 17 months, not even a year and a half, five people have committed suicide in public in either Capitola, Soquel or Aptos.

It's said that two is a coincidence and three is a trend, but Sgt. Alan Burt with the Sheriff-Coroner's Office told Capitola-Soquel Patch that having five local incidents is far from unusual. In 2011, he said, there were 36 suicides in all of Santa Cruz County. Twelve were committed in public (eight male and four female).

Feb. 22, 2011: A woman from the State Park Drive overpass into Highway 1 traffic.

May 25, 2011: A woman above Capitola Village.

Sept. 12, 2011: A Los Gatos man in Capitola.

Oct 10, 2011: A woman was . A month later, it was ruled a suicide. 

June 20, 2012: A Soquel just south of Park Avenue. 

Suicide is alarming and upsetting, and it is easy to note multiple incidents, but Burt said that public suicide is nothing new, and that even the fact that they happen in public is not necessarily important to the victim.

"Most people don't indicate that the manner has anything to do with it," Burt said. "Suicide is a take-control-of-your-life situation. ... Generally they've done everything they can do to get control of their lives. If you or I were in their situation mentally, we'd see a brick wall in front of us and we'd walk around it, but they walk around it and see another brick wall. They go over it and see a brick ceiling. They see only one way out that's left to them."

After , several commenters on Patch expressed frustration with the victim for having inflicted trauma on others by the way he chose to publicly end his life. 

Commenter Penny Lane:

"It's hard to fathom that people are so sorry for the victim (not a victim!). How can you not be appalled at the most selfish, of selfish people?! These people who commit suicide - in public, no less! - traumatizing innocent people and possibly their children, just trying to get to work and school. Many people have messed up lives that they don't wish to carry on with (do with your own life what you will, I say) but to drag a bunch of innocent bystanders into your drama is beyond selfish! Seriously &*@%$# up! RIP Artie?! Psh! RIP sweet, silent nights for many innocent bystanders!"

But Sgt. Burt said that suicide is generally related just to the victim, not anyone else. And while public suicide can certainly inflict pain on others, that is not the intention of the victim.

"Suicide isn't about anger," he said. "People don't go out and say, 'I'm going to kill myself, then I'm coming back for you.'"

Time of year doesn't seem to be an indicator in public suicide, as shown in the timeline above. 

"This is the time of year that we have more people outside. We have people hiking. But I don't think there's any pattern," Burt said. "Whether it's off a bridge, off a cliff or in a tree, I think it can be about what they want to see at the end. I think a lot of people come to Santa Cruz and other beautiful places where there's coastline to kill themselves. It comes down to what you want to see last before you go."

But with a small sample size, it can be hard to make accurate generalizations about the nature of suicide, Burt said. There were 36 in Santa Cruz County last year, but he said that even in Los Angeles where there is ample data, it could be difficult to come to concrete conclusions about suicide trends, as they tend to change and are unique to the individual.

"I don't think anybody can really know everything there is to know about suicide," he said. "I think it's about opportunity, what you have available to you and taking control of your life."

The Crisis Hotline at the Suicide Prevention Service of the Central Coast can be reached at 831-458-5300.