Suicide Prevention and Intervention Act 219 Barzanna White, S.S.P., Ph.D. – District School Psychologist, Prevention Coordinator, and SCTG Director
What does it mean to be suicidal? • Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one’s own life voluntarily or intentionally.
Myths About Depression • T or F When someone is depressed, that person has no trouble going about their daily life. • T or F Depression effects everyone the same way. T or F You can just snap out of depression. • • T or F Depression looks the same in females and males
The Facts About Depression False Depression is more common than AIDS, cancer, and • diabetes combined and impacts people in different ways. Many find it hard to do routine tasks and they may not recognize they are depressed. • False Although there are common signs and symptoms, everyone experiences Depression differently. False Depression is a real and it typically requires treatment… • medication, and counseling to help an individual effectively. • False Some depression symptoms like anger and irritability may be more common in males. Although depression runs in families, there are other factors at play…death and loss, certain medication, personal problems, etc.
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F There is a time of the year when suicides are most common.
Fact • True Most people think suicides are most common during the holidays, but the Spring is the peak for suicides. Suicides are lowest in December.
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F The greater the elevation of a person’s home, the higher the risk for suicide according to a 2011 study.
Fact • True Suicide rates are about 70% higher in homes with elevations 2000 meters in elevation compared to sea level and the study controlled for gun ownership and population density.
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Suicides of teenagers make more headlines but adults are more likely to take their own lives.
Fact • True This is a tricky statement. Adults who die by suicide (ages 45-54, 19.72 per 100,000; ages 85 and over, 19 per 100,000; ages 15 – 24, 13.15 per 100,000). It’s the second leading cause of death for ages 15-24!
Check Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Whites are more likely to commit suicide.
Facts About Suicide • True Whites, 15.17 per 100,000; Native Americans, 13.37 per 100,000; and all other groups, 6 per 100,000.
Check Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Writing style may be linked to suicide.
Fact • True Writing style may be one possible indicator of depression. Creativity, depression, and suicide have long been linked, so it may come as no surprise that some of history’s most creative individuals suffered from a mental illness. Depression affected great minds such as Charles Dickens, Keats, and Tennessee Williams. Several favorite writers committed suicide including Ernest • Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, and David Forest Wallace. These individual’s also wrote in first person.
Check Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Depression is always the cause of suicide.
Fact • False Two out of every three people who commit suicide are depressed by the time they take their life. However, alcoholism plays a role in 1 in 3 completed suicides. Major depression is the psychiatric diagnosis most • commonly associated with suicide and has about 20 times the risk found in the general population.
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Your family affects your risk.
Fact • True A family history of depression increases the risk a child will suffer the same by a factor of 11. Protective factors such as family • connectedness, great friends and a strong social support network are known to lower suicide risk.
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Poor countries have higher suicide rates.
Fact • False Many rich countries have higher suicide rates than developing nations.
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Most suicide attempts fail.
Fact • True Only 1 in every 10 to 25 attempts results in death. The rate is reduced more when the means (guns, pills, etc.) are taken away.
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Suicides are more common than in the past.
Fact • It depends! Suicides in the U.S. have remained relatively constant over the past several decades. However, youth between the ages of 15-24 are more than twice as likely to commit suicide today compared to 50 years ago. That’s a 60% increase in the last 45 years according to the World Health Organization.
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Getting appropriate help/treatment reduces risk.
Fact • True If you successfully treat depression, suicidal ideation declines. Note: Anti-depressants can raise the risk of suicide among patients under the age of 25 during the first few weeks of therapy so monitoring is critical!
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Suicides are more common on weekends.
Fact • False The Center for Disease Control found the highest number of suicides occurred on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Test Your Knowledge About Suicide • T or F Males are at greater risk.
Fact • True While females are three times more likely than males to attempt suicide, males are four times more likely to actually kill themselves.
Additional Myths About Suicide • People who talk about suicide are just trying to get attention. • People who talk about wanting to die by suicide do not try to kill themselves. • Suicide always occurs without any warning signs. • Suicide only strikes people of a certain gender, race, financial status, age, etc. • People who attempt suicide and survive will not attempt suicide again.
Additional Facts about Suicide People who die by suicide usually talk about it first. They are in pain and oftentimes reach out for help because they do not know what to do and have lost hope. Any time someone talks about suicide, it should be taken seriously. People who talk about wanting to die by suicide often kill themselves, especially without intervention. There are almost always warning signs. Suicide can strike anyone. People who attempt suicide and survive will often make additional attempts.
Why is Suicide a Public Health Problem? • After cancer and heart disease, suicide accounts for more years of life lost than any other cause of death .
Statistics In 2017 (the most recent year for • which full data are available), 41,173 suicides were reported, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death for Americans. In that year, someone in the • country died by suicide every 12.8 minutes. • There were an estimated 1,400,000 suicide attempts in 2017.
Facts about Suicide in the U.S. • 14.0 per 100,000 • Rate of suicide is highest in middle-age white men. They accounted for 69.67% of suicide deaths in 2017. • In 2017, men died by suicide 3.54 times more often than women. • On average, there are 129 suicides every day. (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2019)
Most Common Suicide Methods In 2017, firearms were the most common method of death by suicide, accounting for a little more than half (50.57%) of all suicide deaths. Currently, firearms are involved in 56% of male suicides and 30% of female suicides. The next most common method was suffocation (including hangings) at 24.5% Hanging or other means of suffocation are used in about 25% of both male and female suicides. Among U.S. women, the most common suicide method involves poisonous substances. Poisoning accounts for 37% of female suicides, especially overdoses of medications, compared to only 12% of male suicides.
Methods of Suicide • Falls • Cutting/Stabbing Drowning • Inhaling Carbon Monoxide • • Electrocution • Vehicular Impact • Freezing • Exsanguination
Behavioral Risk Factors Changes in eating or sleeping patterns Withdrawal from friends, family Increase in drug or alcohol use Difficulty concentrating/school problems Unusual neglect of personal appearance Increased opposition to authority and rules Risk taking behaviors Giving away prized possessions Themes of death, dying, or violence in talk, music, drawings, writings, etc. Perfectionism Teens: violent actions, rebellious behavior, or running away
Need More Information… • A comprehensive document can be found on the Caddo Parish Schools website for staff (Suicide Prevention Manual – Developed by Dr. White for the Louisiana State Department of Education and modeled after the SAMHSA Toolkit). • This document includes additional information on bullying, teen trends, suicide, non-suicidal self injury, and more.
Louisiana Statistics • On average, one person dies by suicide every 12 hours in Louisiana. • More than three times as many people died by suicide in Louisiana in 2017 than in alcohol related motor vehicle accidents. • It’s the 11 th leading cause of death in Louisiana (AFSP, 2019)
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