Tragedy Spurs Impassioned Swampscott Mental Health Discussion At Select Board Proclamation

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — City Council and Select Board proclamations, though generally sincere and well-meaning, often can come across as perfunctory during a night filled with passion-stirring issues on the agenda.

The Swampscott Select Board's proclamation in support of Children's Mental Health Week on Wednesday, however, took on a different tone one day after a person was killed when struck by a commuter rail train in the town, prompting Select Board member Peter Spellios to talk about his own dealings with anxiety and drawing a pledge to do more in town to support those who may be struggling.

"We've got to be better about this," Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said. "We've seen too many tragedies. We've, frankly, seen too many individuals take their own lives over the last few years. In fact, we're seeing some of those things hit quite close to home.

"(On Tuesday), we had a tragedy in Swampscott, and it's important for us to think about our responsibilities to take care of each other."

The proclamation said that 1 in 5 children are thought to have dealt with serious mental health difficulties and urged residents to "accept, advocate and act because awareness is not enough."

"There isn't one of us up here who doesn't have to deal with mental health issues or has family members who deal with mental health issues," Spellios said. "I've dealt with anxiety for the better part of my life and only recently learned to talk about it. And I'm 51 years old. I don't think I talked about it because you didn't talk about mental health, right? I didn't want to acknowledge things and, at times, needing medicine, and being on medicine to help me to deal with those things.

"I'm glad that I am now able to share my experience. And I want my kids to see it. And I want other people's kids to see it for themselves too because there is no stigma. We are all suffering in one way or another.

"It's OK to need things. It's the most human thing about us."

Fitzgerald said one of the goals of public celebrations and community events in town is to help residents engage with neighbors and feel a sense of connection that can sometimes help overcome feelings of isolation and loneliness.

"We're going to continue to talk about these issues," Fitzgerald said. "And we're going to continue to come up with strategies that help us see where these individuals are in our community and try to engage them.

"We want to let people know that we're here to help. We want to make sure we don't let people get to the end of that rope without them knowing that we're trying to help."

Fitzgerald said the town is seeking to develop youth surveys on at-risk behavior, hospital data on what types of services Swampscott residents are seeking and work with the police and fire departments to "get together in a big-tent scenario to find out how we are addressing these issues, from a public policy standpoint, from a law enforcement standpoint and a public health standpoint."

Those who are struggling or know of someone who may be in crisis are encouraged to call the National Suicide & Crisis Hotline at 988 to speak directly with a crisis counselor 24 hours a day.

Police Chief Ruben Quesada said mental health services are also available by contacting the Swampscott Police Department.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)