When a woman put herself in the path of a Red Line train at the Brookland station Friday evening, she became the latest statistic in a growing problem for Metro.
The woman was at the least the ninth person to kill herself using a Metro train this year. The alarming suicide toll includes a 15-year-old boy, a Metro employee and a 57-year-old man who jumped in front of a train just a week ago. The transit agency reported just two cases each in 2007 and 2008.
The American Association of Suicidology says the best intervention comes before a person heads to the subway platform. The group urges friends, family and co-workers to take seriously the following warning signs:
» Increased alcohol or drug use » No reason for living, or no sense of purpose » Anxiety, agitation, unable to sleep or sleeping all the time » Feeling trapped, like there’s no way out » Withdrawal from friends, family and society » Rage, uncontrolled anger or vengeful behavior » Acting recklessly or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking » Dramatic mood changes Anyone who needs help themselves or guidance on how to intervene should call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s toll-free number, 800-273-TALK (273-8255), which is available 24/7 and can be used anywhere in the United States. It connects callers to local certified crisis centers.
It’s not clear why the suicide numbers have climbed so high this year, say the agency and experts.
“That could be an anomaly. It could just be an unusual streak,” said Karen M. Marshall, who is overseeing a nationwide study into suicides by train for the American Association of Suicidology in Washington.
Suicides sometimes follow each other in clusters, with suicidal people spurred on by hearing of other deaths. Metro’s numbers are still small enough that it can be hard to draw conclusions.
Other transit systems also are reporting more cases, Marshall said. It’s too early to know if there are indeed more deaths or whether agencies are just paying more attention to the problem. “It also could be clusters that are not related to the agencies at all,” Marshall said.
Much remains unknown about what drives people to choose such a high-profile method of death, one that shakes up riders and traumatizes train operators.
Much remains unknown about what drives people to choose such a high-profile method of death, one that shakes up riders and traumatizes train operators.
Until three years ago, no one even knew how big the problem was nationwide because transit agencies and railroad companies are not required to report suicides to any federal agency.
Marshall’s researchers teamed up with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Transit Administration and verified 350 suicides by train nationwide in one year. She said they believed the number was actually higher because the survey had gaps.
That represents less than 2 percent of the estimated 33,000 suicides nationwide each year, Marshall said. “It’s a very unusual phenomenon if you look at that,” she said. “Still, there’s a reason people choose it.”
Metro has tapped into the researchers’ expertise. The transit agency is partnering with Marshall’s group and D.C.’s Department of Mental Health, said Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates. She said Metro planned to develop a public education campaign for riders and an internal training program for all Metro employees to learn how to spot suicidal riders and intervene before it’s too late.
“The idea is to empower employees for certain things to look for,” Gates said.
Metro hopes to begin the program by the beginning of February, she said.
