Archive for Suicide
Montana Suicide Rates Vary by Gender
Posted by: | CommentsMontana is consistent with the rest of the U.S. in that suicide deaths vary by gender with males at greater risk than females. Montana females are five times more likely than males to attempt suicide. More females choose reversible means such as poison; more males choose irreversible means such as firearms.
Source: State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan: http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf
Intermountain West Suicide Rates
Posted by: | CommentsThe intermountain western states have the highest rates of suicide as a region and Montana ranks persistently at the top of the rate chart annually.
Unfortunately, Montana has ranked among the top 5 states with the highest rates of suicide for the past 20 years, along with other mountain states. For a number of years,
Montana has been number two on the yearly charts second only to Nevada.
Source: State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan at http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf
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.
Montana Suicide Rates Vary by Race
Posted by: | CommentsSuicide in Montana also varies, to some degree, by race. The small population of American Indian residents in Montana results in highly variable rates by year. A small increase in the actual numbers of deaths can have, what appears to be, a catastrophic impact on the rate for that year. Taking into account this rate variability due to small populations, the difference in rates between American Indians and Caucasians in Montana is minimal when considered over time.
Source: State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan: http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf
Suicide Rates Show More Colorado Farmers Losing Hope
Posted by: | Comments“The phone calls usually come in the evening after the machinery goes silent on farms across the country. The callers speak of dwindling cash flows, crumbling marriages. Some admit they’re holding a loaded gun. ”
“Across a wide swath of rural America, increasing numbers of farmers are considering taking their lives. ”
“The nation’s largest network of crisis hotlines for agricultural workers reports a spike of 2,000 calls through May compared with the same period last year — a 20 percent increase. ”
Read more at The Denver Post site at http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12506134
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?’ ”
Suicides Go Up When Economy Heads South
Posted by: | Comments“Do suicides go up when the economy heads south? 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.“
Read more at CNN’s site: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/14/suicide.economy/index.html
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
Part 4 Prevalence of Suicide in Montana – Montana’s Unique Characteristics
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.
A fourth reason listed by State of Montana Suicide Prevention Plan at http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/stateplans/plan_mt.pdf is:
Montana’s Unique Characteristics
• Much of Montana epitomizes geographical isolation, accentuated by the harsh winter climate.
• Since the arrival of the earliest white settlers, there has been an ingrained social culture that has accepted suicide as a part of life in Montana.
• Montana’s rate of suicide has proven resistant to improvement from previous prevention efforts.
• There is a lack of availability and access to mental health services in many areas in the state, in part due to the state’s remoteness.
• There is a prevalent and proud “western” culture and attitude among the Caucasian majority in Montana – ‘we can take care of ourselves.’
• Frequently, there is access to firearms that are not properly stored.
• There is a lack of transportation services for some people that inhibits their ability to seek or receive help.
• There is a lack of communication infrastructure (phones, cellular service, and Internet access) in some areas, including American Indian reservations, frontier and rural areas.
• Montana ranks high in alcohol and substance abuse when compared to other states in the U.S
This is the last of 4 posts. To see the other’s please visit the archives.
