Causes
The high-profile suicide of a 24-year-old Massachusetts woman brings mental health to light
Suicide is far from new, but it is still happening much too often in the Bay State and a recent incident has put a brighter light on mental health.
24-year-old Cheyenne Boone of Springfield suffered from mental health issues and had a number of family and friends who loved and cared for her.
Those same loved ones had to watch and hear what appeared to be her jumping from a bridge on a Facebook Live laughing as she said goodbye before she jumped.
Boone’s body was recovered Monday along the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook, CT. Many miles from where she likely jumped to her death.
Boone was reported missing a week ago and officers responded to the Memorial Bridge in Springfield for a report of a suicidal female. Officers located Boone’s personal belongings on the sidewalk of the bridge.
Boone isn’t the first fatal bridge jumper in Massachusetts and won’t be the last. Matter of fact, a few days later someone jumped off that same bridge that Boone jumped off of. Stopping 100% of suicides is a pipe dream, but we have to do something. I don’t have all of the answers, but we have to do something.
I have had my own struggles with mental health issues. Thankfully, I’ve never been suicidal, but I think I at least have enough in my background to comment on the issue.
In 2021, 185 people in Massachusetts committed suicide under 34 years of age. 77 of them were Cheyenne’s age or younger. There were nearly 600 in total.
While you would be right to assume that many of the suicides involved people with documented issues, 159 of those suicides were due to job/financial and partner issues.
Diseases such as cancer and heart disease far outnumber suicide fatalities, but it just feels like decreasing self-inflicted deaths is easier than helping someone quit smoking.
Some say the answer is bridge barriers. Others say we as a state, as a country, don’t take the issue seriously enough. There isn’t enough help.
As I stated previously, I don’t have all the answers, but I do know one thing, the family of Cheyenne Boone that loved her and wanted to protect her, shouldn’t have had to hear her jump to her death.
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Bernadette McIlrath
May 14, 2024 at 7:45 am
I am so sorry for the family and friends of this young woman. I am bipolar and I have a daughter this age. Sometimes I’m extremely manic and other times severely depressed. I take Paxil for the depression and Seroquel as a mood stabilizer. Medications for chemical imbalances of the brain chemicals work but never completely. It took psychiatrists at least ten years to find this combination of medications that work the best for me. I’m so sorry this happened 😢😢
Amanda
May 14, 2024 at 7:46 am
Oh yea the state of MA is so concerned about mental health that masshealth took away my child’s therapeutic mentoring!! As a mom watching her daughters struggle so hard in this world only for mass health to make it even harder for my kids to get good quality mental health care!!! The insurance moved us to safety net which now has a premium payment and we get LESS COVERAGE!!! way to go MA!!
Jennifer S
May 14, 2024 at 11:14 am
You definitely don’t have to stay with that plan. You definitely couldn’t contact my husband and tell them. Your specific means regarding your daughter’s mental health and our important. That is to you for ust and foremost so that they can put you on a plan that may have some more. The things that your family needs most just a suggestion. I know that when I didn’t have certain things. I also live in mass. I just changed the company because maths. Health is always like the secondary usually. And whatever plan you pack is that primary. I would just look into it.
Deborah Bethel
May 14, 2024 at 11:40 am
The system as it is, is set up to cause a lot of mental issues. Everyone does not have the same tolerance or capacity to deal with it. The attempt to treat the symptoms and not the causative factors drives mental illness to a breaking point for some people. I am concerned that everytime someone does it they pretend they are concerned. From experience, I know if they are concerned, I would like to feel they are concerned and I don’t.
CYP
May 14, 2024 at 11:57 pm
Some people only pretend to care and some are so cynical that go out of their way to do things intentionally to try and drive you crazy, cause you emotional and mental damage to the point of breaking you down for their own benefit and to make one seem unstable. We’re living in corrupt times, in a corrupted world. Not everyone has the strength to take in the unfortunate realities that some of us face on a daily basis. It takes great courage. Some people are lonely have no one they can communicate with, no social life. There’s many factors that drive a lot of people down a spiral road of severe depression. And like I previously stated sometimes it’s intentionally caused. Not always for some have actually experienced traumatic events. But you also have to be very careful who you let around. Some people are cruel and would go to any extent to harm you, Maybe not physically but emotionally, financially and mentally. I Wish the world was different but it’s not. MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS! PLEASE BE KIND TO OTHERS🙏🏼
Lissette Saillant
May 15, 2024 at 8:53 am
I am going through the same exact thing, it’s so frustrating because we as mothers wanna help our kids and get them the services that they need and they make it nearly impossible. I applied for mass health disability for my son, and he was approved. It took months and months. In the meantime, he kept getting worse. I still have to pay a premium because of my income. Mental health should be free ! Especially for our children .
Monique Bah
June 6, 2024 at 7:11 am
I agree!
Breanna Chandler
July 1, 2024 at 3:31 pm
Glad your son died 😂😂. Mental health isn’t important your son was a sexual creep he deserves what he got
Breanna Chandler
July 1, 2024 at 3:32 pm
😂😂😂
J
May 14, 2024 at 7:50 am
I’m not a journalist but I would strongly encourage googling something along the lines of “journalism covering suicide” and reading through a few. I also put a link to afsp below for some of the typical rules. I know your heart’s in the right place but you’ve sensationalized a few of the details here and that can potentially lead to more problems than it leads to people getting help instead, which I know is your purpose in covering this. I don’t know anything, just some food for thought. Love reading your coverage man. thank you for being dedicated to this.
Sherry Duchaine
May 14, 2024 at 7:55 am
Many do it because it’s the only thing they feel like THEY CONTROL. They are not leaving LIFE, they are leaving narcissists in their lives. No human can drive another human to death like narcissists can. So, narcissists are not going anywhere which means neither is suicide. Family is overrated, marriage, relationships, careers, schooling … ALL OVERRATED … the human species itself is overrated. Not everyone has the strength to endure the worst of our species. No not all, but there are way TOO MANY narcissists and they suck the Life out of the living!
Denise Kordas
May 14, 2024 at 8:22 am
The atmosphere of disregard happens at the top our so called leaders set the tone.
The current tone has been on going for a decade. Divide and conquer starting with the vulnerable.
Naturally women and young people suffer under hateful fossil misogyny.
Liz
May 15, 2024 at 1:56 pm
Couldn’t agree more.
Nancy
May 14, 2024 at 8:09 am
Omg, that poor girl. God bless her. My heart goes out to her & her family. 🙏
Fed Up
May 14, 2024 at 9:02 am
I used to deliver to Truccis market in Taunton about 20 years ago. After my deliveries I would buy muffins for breakfast and chat with the young cashier named Elizabeth. One day I noticed she wasn’t working and then after a week I asked the other cashier ” where’s Lizzie? ” She’s like ” you didn’t hear? She killed herself ” I was heartbroken she was just 19 years old with her whole life ahead of her. I often think about her and wished things would’ve turned out differently> You’re not forgotten Lizzie rest in peace.
Kim demelo
May 14, 2024 at 6:48 pm
This is a tragedy beyond belief. My thoughts & prayers are with the family and friends of this young woman.
Robin Anne McAuliffe
May 14, 2024 at 7:42 pm
Mental illness does not get the attention it needs!!! The person who mentioned this state taking away benefits from the citizens of this country and pay taxes to supply the money that everyone else is spending! I am talking from experience!!! Mental illness runs in our family period, and they hospitals treat you poorly, and judge you when you enter an emergency room for any such problem! I took care of my sister for 15 years, struggling with depression. These staff members do not want to deal with anything mentally related, they don’t care. Shame on the people who treat others like defected humans. Cruel doesn’t even begin to describe what pain our family has been through. This young lady had supportive family, and this still happened. WE NEED AWARENESS TO THE ISSUES THAT MENTAL ILLNESS PRESENT IN A PERSON’S LIFE! It is not going to go away, when you keep ignoring it!
Amy
May 15, 2024 at 7:49 am
988 is the mental health hotline. It can be used to call for anyone needing someone to talk to, someone safe and trained who will listen and can provide support, suggestions. Services and just someone that will listen 24/7. You do not have to be suicidal, have suicidal ideations, thoughts or self harm thoughts. You can call, chat or text just to talk. If you want the help, they can open up pathways to services and a pathway for support and recovery and relief from depression,anxiety,suicidal thoughtsbetc. I encourage everyone to share this number, it’s free, confidential, has no age requirements. Teens can call and talk in complete confidence too. This is a heartbreaking story, I wish she had found the help and support that could have kept her alive another day to try and seek the care she needed. You’re right, we can’t fix everything but we have to keep trying…
Jen
May 16, 2024 at 8:58 am
Im so sorry for the loss of your daughter. My condolences may she RIP. I pray everyday for my granddaughter who has mental issues. Mental illness is no Joke.
Rosie
May 16, 2024 at 10:28 am
Ever since the Pilgrims conquered the Native Americans and wiped out spirituality we’ve been doomed. Capitalism is only meant to keep the wealthy people above us all. The Devil is the dollar sign. I don’t blame people for jumping off of bridges because we’re children of light not slaves. We’re meant roam freely on another Gaia and connect with one another. But Capitalism is the evil. It breeds more evil too such as psychopaths, narcissists, and sociopaths who will abandon their emotions just to survive.
s
May 18, 2024 at 10:01 am
where’s the upvote button!!
You’re absolutely right – we are so very disconnected from our planet… we need to spend more time barefoot walking outside. It’s so hard to cope with reality once you realize the truth & how we’re supposed to be living. Imagine if our planet was healthy & we were united in peace. We have the power to build a thriving utopia on a global scale. We just need to be brave enough to take action.
LIFE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS HARSH. They just want us to think it is. That’s why they push “us vs them” to keep us divided. They are terrified of us uniting against them.