The Need for Prevention
Mortality due to suicide accounts for approximately 30,000 lives in the United States each year. More than 264,000 Americans were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments after attempting to take their own lives. Still, many suicides or suicide attempts go unreported. Eighty-four people commit suicide each day in the United States.
Risk factors associated with suicide include depression, alcoholism, a recent move, an upsetting end to a relationship, exposure to a non-suicide death or recent loss, and demographic characteristics as previously described. Prevention Strategies
This report demonstrates that suicide is a problem at both the local and national level. However, limited information is available on how morbidity due to suicides has impacted our society. Prevention strategies can be developed when populations at risk are identified. We see in this report that male Hoosiers are the primary victims of suicide, while females may suffer suicide-related injuries as a result of their attempts. Intervention strategies should be prioritized in order to address the specific behavioral risk factors associated with suicide. For example, males are less likely to seek assistance for emotional concerns, thus making them more vulnerable and susceptible to suicide attempts. In addition, adolescents may show signs and symptoms of depression, which are often overlooked by family members, school personnel and health care providers. Research shows that suicide rates in males age 65 year and older are increasing because of the development of chronic disease and increasing isolation related to the deaths of family members and friends.
In 1999, the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Suicide outlined suicide prevention strategies grouped under the "umbrella" term AIM (Awareness, Intervention and Methodology).
Awareness seeks to appropriately broaden the public's awareness of suicide and its risk factors.
Intervention refers to the enhancement of necessary services and programs.
Methodology refers to advancing the science of suicide prevention. Suicide has been identified as a major public health issue and the Surgeon General has called for a public health approach to address it.
One of the goals of the Indiana Suicide Prevention Coalition and the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Firearm Violence is to assist in the development of a State Suicide Prevention Plan for Indiana. Work has been done on addressing suicide prevention within schools through the publication "Suicide: Students at Risk-A Suicide Prevention Resource Guide for Schools". The Indiana State Dept of Health published this document in 1995, through the efforts of a broad-based Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Committee. The Indiana State Department of Education has agreed to form a working group to review this excellent guide for any necessary updating. Schools have frequently been in the forefront of suicide prevention efforts.
There are a number of tools that can be used to assess depression and the potential for suicide, such as questionnaires that are readily available to mental health professionals, counselors and health care providers. The availability of crisis intervention services, hotlines, and easy access to mental health providers can impact the problem of suicide in Indiana. All communities should become aware of what can be accomplished to prevent suicide in their locale.
The newly established Injury Prevention Program at ISDH will disseminate statistical descriptive information to entities throughout the state having an interest in suicide. The dissemination of information will increase awareness and can assist in implementing preventative and/or control program strategies. The goal of the ISDH Injury Prevention Program is to develop a functional surveillance system for all injuries and maintain a core injury team for the state. This program is currently supported by funding through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specifically the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC).
For more information on the Indiana Suicide Prevention Coalition, please contact one of the Co-Chairs, Kathleen O'Connell ( oconnell@ipfw.edu ) or Charlene Graves (e-mail listed below). For information on the Injury Prevention Program at the Indiana State Dept of Health, please contact Dr. Charlene Graves, Principle Investigator for the CDC - funded Core Injury Surveillance and Program Development Cooperative Agreement (# U17/CCU522371) by email: cgraves@isdh.state.in.us .
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