Colorado Public Radio
Gunnison County has a suicide rate more than twice the national average. COVID is making it worse. Now some residents are stepping up to try to stem a rising tide of depression, anxiety, drug abuse, and anger.
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If you are in crisis, or are looking for mental health services for you or someone you know, contact the Colorado Crisis Services Hotline. Call 1-844-493-8255, or text TALK to 38255. You ll be able to speak with a trained counselor or professional. Counselors are also available at walk-in locations or online to chat between 4:00 PM and 12:00 PM.
“Rather than dealing with problems I’d just keep overmedicating,” he said.
That put a strain on his relationship, eventually leading to a divorce in 1999.
In 2016, Petersen was back in central Colorado working in maintenance in Crested Butte, when he fell off a roof. Not long after, he fell down a flight of stairs, injuring both of his shoulders.
It took months of little to no sleep and multiple surgeries for Petersen to start physically recovering. But the inactivity and uncertainty about his future took a significant mental toll, and shortly after the surgeries, he attempted suicide.
When he woke up the next morning, he had an important realization: “I really don’t want to die, but I don’t want to keep living the way I’m living,” he said, reflecting on it now.
Thomas C Petersen Obituary - Holstein, IA | Sioux City Journal legacy.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from legacy.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.