White House Bojangles Incident Serves as Mental Health Reminder
WHITE HOUSE, TENNESSEE: Smokey Barn News) – Yesterday at 4 pm a distressed man pulled into the now-closed Bojangles on Hwy 76 in White House, and, according to officials, got out of his vehicle, and took his own life with a firearm. Due to the very public nature of this incident and safety concerns from the community, we felt a report was appropriate.
The incident brings to light the seriousness of mental illness. As a byproduct of the technology used by Smokey Barn News to capture local events, we learn about mental health-related incidents. It happens more often than you might think. It happens often enough that Smokey Barn News felt compelled to publish a report on suicide statistics in Robertson County to give our readers an idea of the scope of the problem. We have added that report below.
If it’s such a big problem, why don’t we report suicides? Most reporting agencies have policies in place not to report self-inflicted harm or domestic-related incidents, though sometimes a situation may force an agency to make a public announcement. Avoiding suicide-related reporting is an attempt to limit further traumatizing the victim’s family and there’s a danger of copycat events. The obvious byproduct of a “no report policy” is that the general public is left with little to no data on the subject. The report below (published back in 2021) is designed to bridge that gap.
The numbers below represent suicide-related events, regardless of the outcome in Robertson County. We went back to 2017. The numbers reflect the emergency 911 calls where suicide was part of the identifier of the call and we have added stats on the estimated loss of life. The data comes from our own Robertson County 911 Dispatch Center and the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network.
2017 – 274 Calls (Est 13 lives lost)
2018 – 239 Calls (Est 15 lives lost)
2019 – 232 Calls (Est 17 lives lost)
2020 – 225 Calls (Est lives lost N/A)
2021 – 161 calls to date this year. (lives lost N/A)
Going back to 2013, Robertson County averages about 13 lives lost to suicide annually, according to estimates provided by the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. To see rates and county-by-county comparisons CLICK HERE>
We have added some resources below that offer direct assistance in a crisis and links for anyone looking to learn more about suicide prevention.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Offers assistance in English and Spanish as well as deaf and/or hearing impaired. You can call 800-273-8255 just enter 988 on any phone for call and text.
Crisis Text Line Individuals can simply text “HOME” to 741741 and a trained crisis counselor will respond.
Mobile Crisis Services is the program that assists individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis For Robertson County, Youth Villages Mobile Crisis (provides 24/7 crisis services to individuals younger than 18 years of age), 1-866-791-9221
What we learned in our research is that suicide is definitely preventable. All it takes is a community committed to providing the resources needed.
We have also added the number of accidental overdose calls, also going back to 2017. Loss of life numbers in Robertson County was not available.
2017 – 122 Calls
2018 – 103 Calls
2019 – 149 Calls
2020 – 203 Calls
2021 – 122 Calls to September 2121.
For those facing drug addiction, Tennessee REDLINE provides 24/7 information and resources for individuals who may be struggling with substance use issues and in need of help. 1-800-889-9789
To the family of the man who took his life yesterday, our thoughts and prayers are truly with you as you face the days ahead.
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