Deaths of Despair

In a remote corner of Maine that locals call ‘The Forgotten County,’ the pandemic triggered isolation, economic struggles and a surge in suicides and overdoses. Hindered by a lack of mental health resources, communities and schools in Washington County banded together to find help for those with anxiety, depression and despair. The Maine Monitor chronicles the heartbreaking losses in a county that seeks solace and solutions to prevent more tragedies.

The crushing toll of a pandemic in Maine’s ‘forgotten county’

by Barbara A. Walsh | April 11, 2021

During a tragic winter that saw four suicides and prolonged isolation, Baileyville Police Chief Bob Fitzsimmons has served as a guardian, confidant and friend to the people in northeastern Washington County.

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Barely hanging on

by Barbara A. Walsh | May 16, 2021

Her grandson took his life. Then her daughter overdosed. “When people are crying for help, you’ve got to take them seriously,” said Rhonda McIver.

Overdose deaths leave a Maine tribe reeling

by Barbara A. Walsh | May 9, 2021

As the pandemic worsened mental health and substance use challenges statewide, a record-high 58 people died from overdoses in January. The losses have hit the Passamaquoddy tribe especially hard.

A need for awareness

by Barbara A. Walsh | Apr 11, 2021

In a county with few mental health resources, community members are rallying to increase peer support and education around suicide.

Alone with the grief, alone with the pain

by Barbara A. Walsh | Apr 11, 2021

The Stewarts are just one family in Washington County forced to struggle with suicide in an area where demand for help far outweighs the number of mental health providers.

The crushing toll of a pandemic in Maine’s ‘forgotten county’

by Barbara A. Walsh | Apr 11, 2021

Barbara A. Walsh

Barbara is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has worked for newspapers in Ireland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Florida. While working at the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, Walsh reported on first-degree killer William Horton Jr. and Massachusetts’ flawed prison-furlough system. The series changed in-state sentencing and furlough laws and won a 1988 Pulitzer Prize. During her career at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, Barbara wrote in-depth series on several social issues in Maine. Many of her stories changed laws and earned national, state and regional awards. Barbara is also the author of an adult biography/memoir, August Gale: A Father and Daughter’s Journey into the Storm, and Sammy in the Sky, a children’s book illustrated by Jamie Wyeth. She lives on a lake in Maine with her two daughters, husband and Paco, a rescue dog from Puerto Rico. When she is not writing, taking pictures or walking Paco, she can be found sitting by the lake, comforted by its blue-green waters.