Paragraphs eight and nine read: ” ‘One guy last
year locked himself inside a bathroom and shot himself, and this was a
retired military man that was highly decorated, Bearden said. “Then
come to find out, his brother had done the same thing the week before in
another state.”
“The correlation between the two brothers was
anti-depression medications, Bearden said. While he can’t confirm
that the prescription medication was what led to the brothers’ suicides, Bearden
said it happens too often that prescription drugs change
the mindset of a person.”
Paragraph four reads: “Bearden
added, ‘People need to know that we do, in fact, have a problem in Saline
County. We don’t really have many ‘hard’ drugs here anymore. Every once in
awhile you’ll see cocaine or marijuana or other street drugs, but most of the deaths … 90 percent come from prescription
drugs’.”
http://www.bentoncourier.com/content/view/204346/1/
Coroner: Teen Drug Death Rate High
Saturday, 06
February 2010
The hand reaches down as another parent
enters the room fearing the worst. The large black bag slowly unzips and the
worst fear a parent never wants to believe, that moment is here. Inside the
darkness of the body bag lies someone’s son, daughter, nephew, their niece
someone’s good friend, and another family is torn apart with grief, confusion,
and a wish it was them instead.
It is a day that
Will Bearden has seen too often in his 13 years as the Saline County Corner, and
18 years previously riding on an ambulance as an EMT. Nearly everyday Bearden
has to tell yet another family what caused the death of a loved one, and
surprising to many, he said nearly 90 percent are due to drugs and
alcohol.
In fact, in 2009 alone, Bearden said that about 60 deaths were related
to drugs and alcohol, and nearly 30 of those deaths involved teenagers living in
Saline County, and state officials say the county leads the state in the number
of fatal drug overdoses.
“When you say it won’t happen to me or my family,
you are about to eat your words, because I have seen it happen time and time
again,” Bearden said. “I work in it every day, and I see a lot of sad families
asking what they could have done to help their son or daughter.”
have a problem in Saline County. We don’t really have many ‘hard’ drugs here
anymore. Every once in awhile you’ll see cocaine or marijuana or other street
drugs, but most of the deaths … 90 percent come from prescription
drugs.”
Charles Kokes believes “Saline County has one of the highest percentages of
deaths caused by drug overdoses.”
drugs or alcohol; everyone is at risk, he said. From fatality accidents to
accidental overdoses to suicides, people “age 85 and down” have deaths related
to the rise in prescription drug abuse.
shot himself, and this was a retired military man that was highly decorated,”
Bearden said. “Then come to find out, his brother had done the same thing the
week before in another state.”
anti-depression medications, Bearden said. While he can’t confirm that the
prescription medication was what led to the brothers’ suicides, Bearden said it
happens too often that prescription drugs change the mindset of a
person.
said. “I also believe that it’s a mental disease when someone gets hooked on
drugs. Many people addicted believe they have pain (whether physical, mental or
emotional) and they take medications for their pain. Some aren’t trying to do
harm; they just take too much and then some just go and take their lives, and
probably wouldn’t have if they wouldn’t have had so much medication affecting
their mental state.”
last year, around 22 were ruled suicides. After the bodies are sent to the
Arkansas State Crime Lab for toxicology screens, most come back with some type
of drugs in their system, the majority being prescription drugs.
because the medical examiner is overloaded with cases all the time, and I’ve
seen where pills aren’t even digested in the stomach yet and sometimes are still
in a person’s mouth,” Beard said. “What makes this job tough is when you have to
approach the loved ones of those that died. I’ve seen a lot of divorces and
hatred with families after a son or daughter’s death because the parents keep
blaming each other … it’s just a real sad thing to see, and I see it too
often.”
Hospital in which a person survived an overdose. But it isn’t in any way
pleasant for anyone, he said.
drugs, but survives from having their stomachs pumped and they fight with the
doctors and nurses,” Bearden said. “It’s got to be a unbelievable pain to have a
stomach pumped, but they shouldn’t have put themselves in that situation if they
didn’t want that to happen and the medical staff has to do whatever they can to
save their life.”
drugs. Once, Bearden said he left the home of an older person that had just
died and later returned to the home to retrieve medications to help with
the death investigation.
home,” he said. “I found the back door kicked in and inside were two teenagers
going through the medicine cabinets. They were ambulance-listening and chasing
in hopes of finding prescription drugs.”
families to not list the addresses of the deceased. He said the prescription
drug abusers do everything from listen to police/fire/ambulance scanners, to
chasing ambulances to even reading obituaries in newspapers.
“Don’t tell people where the family is because they’ll break in and look for
whatever (prescription) drugs they can find.”
people first need to listen and believe there is a problem and then work
together to find solutions.
can do that by getting the parents and grandparents involved in teaching them
and making them realize that it can happen to them,” Bearden said. “I think we
need more programs in school to recognize and talk about this problem. And the
younger the children we can reach, the better we can be in helping it all end.
But really the best way is by word of mouth.”
One program Bearden said he is
“100 percent behind” is the Operation Medicine Cabinet. (See related
article.)
Most importantly, Bearden said people have to truly
believe there is a problem with prescription drug abuse in Saline County.
Unzipping another body bag and
having to tell parents that their child is gone is a part of the job Bearden
wishes he never has to do again, but it happens much too often.
“ … It will send chills up
your spine,” he said. “ … Letting parents in to identify the body … that’s
real stuff, and I want to change that. If we can all work together, we can end
it.”