Berkshire County ranks highest for suicide rates in the state. Between 2007 and 2016, rates rose dramatically for individuals between the ages of 15 and 19: There was a 50 percent increase for females and a 31 percent increase for males.
Since 2012, Betsy Nichols and Joann Farrell have orchestrated the Purgatory Road Haunted Hayride at Nichols' farm in Dalton to raise funds for youth suicide prevention efforts in Berkshire County.
