In light of these recent deaths, many people are wondering: Do suicide rates spike when the economy is in trouble? See more on the relationship between the economy and suicide rates »

Yes, say experts. "We ordinarily experience much, much higher rates of suicide during times of recession," says M. Harvey Brenner, professor of public health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 32,000 people kill themselves each year. The government doesn't keep statistics in "real time," so it's hard to tell whether the suicide rate is spiking right now. However, Brenner has crunched the numbers and thinks as many as 1,200 more suicides could happen as a result of the current recession.