Archive for Prevention
Montana Suicide Rates Vary Widely by Age
Posted by: | CommentsSuicide rates in Montana vary widely by age. When all ages are combined, suicide is ranked the 9th leading cause of deaths for Montanans for more than two decades. However, when those rankings are examined by age group the risk of suicide varies considerably.
Death by suicide is significant cause of mortality among youth and young adults in Montana. It is the leading cause of preventable death for the ages 10 to 14 and the second leading cause of death for the ages 15 to 24 and 25 to 34.1
Compared nationally, Montana’s rate of suicide from 1999 – 2003 for 15 – 24 year olds was 17.68 per 100,000 while nationally is was to 10.01 per 100,000.
Interesting fact: There is a correlation between smoking and suicidal behavior in people of all ages.
The Journal of Adolescent Medicine (2004) reported that teenagers who smoke had a rate of suicide attempts four times higher than teens who do not.
Source: State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan: http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf
Lethal Means
Posted by: | CommentsA number of means are used in the act of suicide in Montana. Of these, firearms (66%) and hanging (13%) are the most common. Other lethal means include: carbon monoxide (7%), overdose (10%), motor vehicle crashes, jumping from heights, etc.
Source: http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf
If you are contemplating any of these means, or know someone who is, call for help immediately. If you feel that someone (including yourself) is in immediate danger go to your local hospital’s Emergency Room NOW.
If less urgent then call your local Help Center, Suicide Line or check out http://211.org/, enter your zip code and see what resources they may have to offer in your community.
Suicide prevention: Push back the darkness, let in the light
Posted by: | Comments“No one is sure why Alaska’s suicide rate has risen for four straight years and is the nation’s highest. Alaska can round up the usual suspects — alcohol and drug abuse, hopelessness, isolation, poverty, wretched family lives, lack of opportunity, sexual abuse, biological factors, culture, history, racism — but we still won’t have all the answers. We do have some answers, however. And as Susan Soule, mental health consultant and former director of the state’s suicide prevention program, points out, we know the important questions.”
“Soule quoted the late Edwin Schneidman, the father of suicide prevention, who said the work boiled down to two questions:
‘Where do you hurt? How may I help you?’ ”
Talking & Walking
Posted by: | Comments“Whether on the Internet or in person, talking to someone helps. In fact, talking and walking 30 minutes a day are the most effective strategies for treating and preventing depression.”
This quote, from Dr. Oz from the Oprah site caught my attention. I have a vision that we can talk our way out of the stigma of depression. Keeping it to ourselves only makes it worse, and that can be a dangerous thing where depression is concerned. It truly is a life and death situaiton.
Click here to read all 11 points offered by Dr. Oz on dealing with depression.
Protective Factors
Posted by: | CommentsSome individuals and communities are more resistant to suicide than others. Little is known about these protective factors. However they might include genetic and neurobiological makeup, attitudinal and behavioral characteristics, and environmental attributes. According to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Suicide6, protective factors include:
• Effective and appropriate clinical care for mental, physical and substance abuse disorders,
• Easy access to a variety of clinical interventions and support for help seeking,
• Restricted access to highly lethal methods of suicide,
• Family and community support,
• Support from ongoing medical and mental health care relationships,
• Learned skills in problem solving, conflict resolution, and nonviolent handling of disputes, and
• Cultural and religious beliefs that discourage suicide and support self-preservation instincts, including American Indians practice of non-separation of culture, spirituality, and/or religion.
As with prevention and intervention activities, when programs to enhance protective factors are introduced, they must build on individual and community assets. They must also be culturally appropriate. As an example protective factors enhancement in any one of Montana’s American Indian communities must capitalize on the native customs and spiritual beliefs of that nation, tribe or band.
Source: http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in our state (Montana), second only to motor vehicle accidents.
A third reason listed by State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan at http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf is:
Lack of mental health providers and treatment facilities
• There is a shortage of inpatient mental health treatment facilities. The availability of this vital resource is diminishing with the closure of inpatient psychiatric beds.
• There is a severe lack of appropriate comprehensive outpatient services.
• There is insufficient integration of traditional and culturally specific interventions
• Montana has a severe shortage of psychiatrists, especially child and adolescent psychiatrists
• There is a lack of physicians capable of providing appropriate psychiatric medication treatments
• There is a lack of post intervention services
This is the third of 4 posts. To see the other’s please visit the archives.
What to Do if You Think a Person is Having Suicidal Thoughts
Posted by: | CommentsWhat do you do if you think a person is having suicidal thoughts?
(Information provided by the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine)
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
You cannot predict death by suicide, but you can identify people who are at increased risk for suicidal behavior, take precautions, and refer them for effective treatment.
ASK – Ask the person directly if he or she is having suicidal thoughts/ideas, has a plan to do so, and has access to lethal means:
- “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”
- “Have you ever tried to hurt yourself before?”
- “Do you think you might try to hurt yourself today?”
- “Have you thought of ways that you might hurt yourself?”
- “Do you have pills/weapons in the house?”
Ø This won’t increase the person’s suicidal thoughts. It will give you information that indicates how strongly the person has thought about killing him or herself.
Ø Take seriously all suicide threats and all suicide attempts. A past history of suicide attempts is one of the strongest risk factors for death by suicide.
Ø There is no evidence that “no-suicide contracts” prevent suicide. In fact, they may give counselors a false sense of reassurance.
LISTEN AND LOOK – Listen and look for red flags for suicidal behavior, indicated by the mnemonic:
IS THE PATH WARM?
Ideation – Threatened or communicated
Substance abuse – Excessive or increased
Purposeless – No reasons for living
Anxiety – Agitation/Insomnia
Trapped – Felling there is no way out
Hopelessness
Withdrawing – From friends, family, society
Anger (uncontrolled) – Rage, seeking revenge
Recklessness – Risky acts, unthinking
Mood changes (dramatic)
ACT –
- If you think the person might harm him or herself, do not leave the person alone.
- Say, “I’m going to get you some help.”
- Call the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine, 1-800-273-TALK. You will be connected to the nearest available crisis center. OR…
- Got to SAMHSA’s Mental Health Services Locator (www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/databases/) or Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator (http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/).
Opportunities for Prevention Activities
Posted by: | CommentsThe variations in suicide rates by age groups and gender provide a wide array of opportunities for prevention and intervention activities.
Prevention strategies can cover a wide variety of target groups (e.g., population at large, those who have ever thought of suicide as an option, those who have made previous attempts at suicide, and those in immediate crisis who are contemplating suicide as well as those who have experienced the death of a family member or close friend).
Such activities can also range from a broad focus such as addressing risk and protective factors to a more narrow focus such as preventing imminent self-harm or death.
Although the data on effectiveness of various programs and interventions is limited, certain strategies are beginning to emerge as more effective than others. Clearly, a singularly focused intervention strategy such as a crisis line or gatekeeper training program will not have a lasting impact in isolation. Each program needs to be tightly integrated and interlinked with other strategies to reach the broadest possible range of persons at risk.
The groups are futher detailed in these groups:
Youth – Ages 15 – 21
Older Adults – Ages 20 – 44
Senior Caucasian Males, Over Age 55 (this group has one of the highest rates of suicide)
Source: http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf
Part 1 – Prevalance of Suicide in Montana – Lack of statewide coordination
Posted by: | CommentsSuicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in our state (Montana), second only to motor vehicle accidents.
Lack of statewide coordination
• Systems collaboration between tribal entities, counties and state government, especially for adolescent and young adult populations are inadequate.
• Coordination between community levels and state systems is inadequate. Local communities may not know about initiatives in other parts of the state or in state government. State government agencies are often not aware of prevention efforts related to suicide in other agencies.
• Development of suicide prevention strategies often occurs without the involvement of youth in the planning process.
• Screening for mental illness and suicide does not consistently occur in public schools, juvenile justice systems, or other child-serving agencies. Screening is inconsistent in the medical community
Source: State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan at http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf
