Apr 14, 2009 11:17 pm US/Eastern
Economy Blamed For Seeming Spike In Murder-Suicide
Crisis Intervention Expert Says People Are "Stretched Too Tight"
Hard Times Also Reduce Mental Health Assistance
National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-SUICIDE(784-2433)
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Saturday a Miami man shot his wife and stepdaughter, angry, police say, that they had teased him about something.
Sunday a Miami Beach man shot his wife and daughter and killed himself. No motive was immediately apparent.
April 3rd in Binghamton, NY, a man stormed an immigration office, killing 13 people before killing himself. He had recently lost his job and was angry at immigrants who don't speak good English.
If it seems like we are in a season of murder-suicide it's because we are, one expert says.
"Business, unfortunately, is booming," said Teresa Descilo, director of Miami-Dade's Victim Services Center, which provides crisis counseling. "We have seen our intakes triple."
Descilo believes the declining economy is largely behind the increase in domestic violence and murder-suicides. "The stresses of the economy, which almost everybody has felt, are stretching people thin. Stress means to stretch tight, and people have been stretched tight."
Amid the real estate meltdown, layoffs, and declining fortunes, Descilo said otherwise typical feelings of jealousy, anger or perceived slights can take on pathological proportions.
The presumed reasons for murder-suicide -- such as the man angry that he had been teased by his family members -- don't fully explain the violent behavior, Descilo said.
"These are just the straws that break people over the edge," she said. "If you scratch the surface of these families, there are other things that have been going on, there is a build-up followed by a break."
Those who resort to murder and/or suicide aren't thinking about finding rational solutions to their real or perceived problems, the crisis expert said.
"They're feeling so much pressure and so much pain internally, that doing this awful deed doesn't register as having consequences."
Descilo said the declining economy, while fueling domestic dysfunction, has also diminished resources that are available to deal with the problem.
"We have lost more than half our staff to budget cuts," she said. "The economic reality is that we're able to serve fewer than 50 percent of the clients we were able to serve a year ago."
If you or someone you know needs help, Descilo said, you will probably have to wait.
Below is contact information for some crisis intervention agencies in South Florida.
You can dial: 211 on any phone. This provides crisis counseling and assistance referrals for adults, families and children, free of charge. www.211.org
Switchboard Of Miami, 305-358-HELP(4357):
www.switchboardmiami.org
Miami Dade Victims Services Center 305-374-9990 www.vscmiami.org
Women in Distress of Broward 954-761-1133 www.womenindistress.org
National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-SUICIDE(784-2433)
Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-500-1119
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