Twenty-nine people killed themselves in 2018 in Flagler County, two fewer than in 2017, but still by far the second-highest total in Flagler history. More people died by firearm in Flagler in 2018 than ever before.
mental health
Schools Will Have To Teach Minimum of 5 Hours of Annual Mental Health Instruction in Grades 6-12
The five-hour minimum will be included in curriculums for grades 6-12, but it remains unclear if the classes will begin in the upcoming academic year. The policy finalized Wednesday does not include an implementation date.
At Flagler’s 1st-Ever Suicide Town Hall, Hope and Resolve Confront Grim Void of Mental Health Services
Personal stories of confronting suicide, including that of Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland, combined with an assessment of Flagler’s grim mental health landscape to show the county’s growing awareness and resolve not to remain entirely at the mercy of circumstances.
Town Hall on Suicide Awareness in Flagler Will Feature Survivors and Mental Health Experts
Flagler Lifeline, a volunteer committee and Flagler Cares affiliate established to broaden conversation and awareness of suicide, will host the public town hall event at 6 p.m. May 23 at the Flagler County Association of Realtors building.
Before Kevin McCarthy’s Suicide, a Life of Creative Advocacy and Contradictions Running in Overdrive
Until his last year, Kevin McCarthy had a stellar 17-year career with Flagler schools, coming out of the shadow of his father Bob McCarthy, Flagler’s longest-serving sheriff. But he had unspoken struggles.
Suicides of 2 Parkland Students in a Week Have Lawmakers Questioning Schools’ Mental Health Funding
Two suicides in the span of a week involving student survivors of the Parkland school shooting have sparked a new question at the Florida Capitol: How much mental-health money should the state provide to schools?
Survivor of Half-Failed Double-Suicide May Not Get To Blame Depression in “Assisted Murder” Defense
Bruce Haughton says he planned to kill himself and his ex-girlfriend Katherine Goddard in her R-Section home. She died. He survived. The prosecution sees it only as assisted murder, discounting his mental state.
The Story Behind A 28-Year-Old Flagler Veteran’s Suicide: Strife, Depression, And a Father’s Questions
Abdul Ganiyu Ayanwale, a 28-year-old Army National Guard veteran, killed himself by gunshot at his Bunnell apartment on Nov. 16 after a series of personal and legal difficulties.
At Buddy Taylor Middle, Dress-Code Violation Escalates to Arrest Over Threats of Suicide and School Shooting
The arrest of a 15-year-old student at Buddy Taylor Middle School Thursday is the year’s first instance of a student allegedly threatening an attack on fellow students, faculty–and herself.
Grim Flagler Milestone in 2017: Most Suicides In County’s History, Highest Rate in Florida
There were 31 suicides in Flagler-Palm Coast in 2017, five more than the previous high, a third of them affecting people 45 to 54. The county’s rate is significantly higher than the average in states most severely affected by suicide.