Another Tragic Loss in Scarsdale

A mother’s suicide on Tuesday has left Scarsdale searching for answers as to why four people in the community have taken their own lives (one unconfirmed) in the past seven weeks. The mother of two jumped from the Tappan Zee Bridge, leaving grief-stricken children, parents, friends and neighbors seeking to explain the inexplicable.

Lynne Spencer was a former school psychologist and the mother of a fourth grader at Heathcote Elementary School and a sophomore at Scarsdale High School. According to the Journal News Spencer drove her Toyota Highlander onto the bridge around noon on Tuesday, got out, and jumped 150 feet into the Hudson River. Miraculously a construction crew that was under the bridge to sandblast one of the piers saw her fall about 50 feet in front of them. Three men from the crew jumped into a boat and pulled Spencer out of the water where she was floating face down.

Though she was unconscious she was still alive and one of the men performed CPR on her until she began to breathe. She was treated by paramedics and EMT’s and taken to Nyack Hospital where she later died from internal trauma. Spencer was remembered by a Dunham Road neighbor who said, “Lynne was a gracious, warm and lovely person. We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss.”

Funeral services will be held at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church on Greenacres Avenue in Scarsdale on Saturday, December 4 at 11 am.

Her death has shaken a community already in mourning over the recent loss of a beloved elementary school teacher right before Thanksgiving and a member of the high school staff in October. In addition, a well-known shopkeeper attempted to take his own life in his Scarsdale Village store on October 23 and later died as a result. All the victims were parents, compounding the tragic nature of their deaths. By all accounts Scarsdale is a very supportive community that prides itself on its spirit of volunteerism. The Scarsdale and Edgemont Family Counseling Service provides free support to those in need, and in a town with abundant resources it is baffling why these tragedies could not have been averted.

There is no known link between the deaths, though clusters of suicides have been documented elsewhere. We spoke to several mental health experts to learn more about possible causes and were told that there are no easy answers, though depression, illness, divorce and economic instability are known to be contributing factors. According to psychiatrists, the advent of the holiday season can also trigger depression and exacerbate family issues.

The school was quick to react and communicate with parents and students. In a thoughtful letter to district parents, Superintendent Michael McGill wrote,
“This is my thirty-ninth year as a school superintendent or headmaster. In all that period, I can't remember a sequence of tragedies similar to the one that's shaken our schools and the broader community within the last few weeks. Over the last month, we've experienced the consequences of the darkest of emotions. At the same time, we've witnessed the best of human caring and resilience. The strength of our students, faculty, parents and other community members has been exemplary.....Unavoidably, times like these raise difficult questions to which nobody has answers, and they necessarily lay bare feelings of vulnerability. A number of people, including some mental health professionals, have asked how they could help the schools help students through this trial.”

He goes on to let parents know what is being done at the schools to help the children through this crisis:

“Each school has a trained intervention team that coordinates support services. The teams draw on the expertise of external psychiatric and/or psychological specialists, and their approaches have been developed in collaboration with mental health professionals. I hope you'll be reassured to know that principals, counselors, deans, youth workers, psychologists and faculty at large are all in communication about students who may benefit from special attention; school personnel are in touch with those youngsters and their families, where appropriate; and staff will take added measures as necessary.”

It is natural for anyone who had interactions with the victims to wonder if they missed a sign or if they could have helped. What is so puzzling is that there are often no signs beforehand that someone is contemplating taking his or her own life.

However, Scarsdale School Psychologist Ernie Collabolletta, (721-2563) has provided the following list of signs to look for -- and we offer it here for your information:

• Excessive sadness or moodiness: Long-lasting sadness and mood swings can be symptoms of depression, a major risk factor for suicide
• Sudden calmness: Suddenly becoming calm after a period of depression or moodiness can be a sign that the person has made a decision to end his or her life
• Withdrawal: Choosing to be alone and avoiding friends or social activities also are possible symptoms of depression. This includes the loss of interest or pleasure in activities the person previously enjoyed.
• Changes in personality or appearance: A person who is considering suicide might exhibit a change in attitude or behavior, such as speaking or moving with unusual speed or slowness. In addition, the person might suddenly become less concerned about his or her personal appearance.

Last, Collabolletta provided the following list of resources and we encourage you to keep these in mind for anyone in need:

• Scarsdale and Edgemont Family Counseling Service (723-3281)
• The Bereavement Center of Westchester (961-2818)
• Westchester Jewish Community Services (761-0600 x 207)
• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, 24-hour hotline is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center.