National Action: National Strategy For Suicide Prevention

"More people in the general population die from suicide than homicide in North America. There are almost 11 suicide deaths each year for every 100,000 people living in the United States, and for every suicide, there are between 8 and 25 attempts" (Brent 4203). Based on this research, the great effect of suicide is displayed. According to dictionary.com, suicide can be defined as "the intentional taking of one's own life." Suicide is a major issue for all people, but it most obviously affects those ranging from ten to twenty-four. People need to understand the tremendous ramifications caused from suicide everyday; when people take their lives, others lose their loved ones. Suicide, one of the leading causes of death of numerous people each day, has reached a crisis point for adolescents and young adults, and it needs to be prevented.

The rate of suicide, the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally, increases each year. “More adolescents die each year from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, combined” (Preventing Teen Suicide, 2016, p.2). These facts show suicide is a serious problem among teens. Last year, teen suicide became the second leading cause of death in the United States confirming the significant increase in teen suicides.

Healthy People 2020 is a government site that identifies health concerns based on statistics observed and collected over a ten-year period. Mental Health and Mental Disorders is one of the many health concerns or topics listed on their website and has been further subcategorized into objectives and goals (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2015). The first objective listed under this topic states “reduce the suicide rate” (HHS, 2015). The goal of this objective is to “reduce the suicide rate by ten percent” (HHS, 2015). Suicide is prevalent among varying age groups, ethnicities, and genders (HHS, 2012). It is an increasing problem prompting Healthy People 2020 to label it as a Leading Health Indicator or an extremely important issue (HHS, 2015). To meet their goal, Healthy People 2020 partnered with the U. S. Surgeon General and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (NAASP) to create a plan that can be utilized throughout the nation. Their plan focuses on removing the stigma associated with mental health and mental health disorders while simultaneously building supportive communities with increased access to care, creating a standardized model promoting the collaboration of health care professionals in order to increase identification and data collection of high-risk patients and provide continuity of care, and ensuring the education and the adequacy of patient support systems.

There is at least 113 suicides each day or 1 every 13 minutes. Suicide among males is the seventh leading cause of death and the fourteenth leading cause in females. Most suicides are with a firearm and are carried out with a “ Saturday night special”. (Dilaura,Cynthia DiLaura) “More than 90 percent of suicide attempts with a gun are fatal. “ (Brady Campaign) There are a number of reasons why suicide occurs. Stress is the number one cause among our youth, bullies, peer pressure, depression, and abuse. 41,100 people committed suicide in the United States in 2013. Our young teens today does not take time to look deeper into there problem and to seek out a better solution. They are looking for a quick fix but not realizing once the trigger is pulled the result is final with no turning back. Most people who has attempted suicide is more likely to try a second attempt and most have an underlying mental illness. There is many warming that someone may be in a suicide crisis. We most learn how to see things through their eyes. No matter what one is facing in life or the difficult that lie ahead of them Nothing is worth taken your own

Every suicide effects more than the individual’s life, in truth it impacts families, communities and economic well-being of our nation. According, Piscopo, Lipari, Cooney, and Glasheen, (2016) “Suicide is an important public health problem in the United States and a tragedy for all involved—families, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and communities. In 2014, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States overall.1 Among people aged 10 to 34, suicide was the second highest cause of death, and for those aged 35 to 54, it was the fourth highest cause of death” (p. 2).

(2017). Preventing suicide: A technical package of policies, programs, and practices. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/suicideTechnicalPackage.pdf

In 2004 Congress enacted the Campus Suicide Prevention initiative which provides funds through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Mental Health Services, to college campuses nationwide (Smulson, 2016). The Campus Suicide Prevention initiative supports program activities, mental health screening services, and prevention strategies to form a foundation for mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and substance abuse prevention (Smulson, 2016). While research shows that mental and behavioral health supports can improve student life and functioning, the program falls short in some areas.

Maine needs a better proactive prevention program for suicide. Maine’s suicide rate among all ages is unreasonably high. It is especially disconcerting to have a high rate among young adults. According to the Maine Suicide Prevention Program, one suicide happens every two days or 180 suicides year in Maine. It is the tenth leading cause of death among all age bracket in Maine. It is the second leading cause of death for ages 15 to 24; and the fourth leading cause in ages 10 to 14. (“Maine Suicide Prevention Program”) There are programs in place to help. They do not seem to be enough.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States (US) as of the 2015 Suicide Facts at a Glance Report. In 2013 there were 41,149 suicides in the US which calculates to a rate of 12.6 per 100,000 or 113 suicides each day or one every 13 minutes (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). Emergency departments are often a resource for those seeking assistance for suicidal ideations. This paper will discuss many aspect of suicide including; contributing factors, scope of the problem, populations affected, significance, and approaches used to address the issue.

Each year in the United States approximately 30,000 or 12.93 per 100,00 (prevalence) persons die each year as a result of suicide with an additional 500,000 making a failed attempt. However, in 2013 the official number of reported deaths by suicide totaled 41,149 or 1.6 percent of all reported deaths in the U.S, thereby making suicide the 10th leading cause of death (American Association of Suicidology, 2015). When comparing global suicide statistics, the U.S. ranks 47th amongst the 116 countries included in the study, and although other countries fair far worse, it is important to note, suicide is preventable (World Health Rankings, 2014). These startling statistics are reversible if, we as a society act to dismantle the stigma associated with both emotional and mental disorders given they are often the precursor of suicidal ideation.

As of today, about three quarters of suicides globally occur in the developing world. Most of these are third world countries where there is a higher rate of poverty, homelessness, corrupt government, and high crime rate. Those who have previously attempted suicide are at higher risk for future attempts. Suicide prevention efforts should allow limited access to things that might lead to suicide. These can be to having access to firearms, poisonous items, mental disorders, and substance abuse. Although crisis hotlines are available to assist someone, there is little evidence of their effectiveness.People need to take action understanding and preventing suicides through research, education, and advocacy. We need to reach out to people that have mental disorders that can be impacted by suicidal intentions.

Suicide is a growing problem around the world and is the third leading cause of death. Statistics show the seriousness of the situation. According to W.H.O. (World Health Organization) and C.D.C. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), over 800,000 people die by suicide every year with 42,773 being Americans. The National Alliance on Mental Illness says the leading cause of people committing suicide is untreated depression, but “only half of all Americans experiencing an episode of major depression receive treatment” (“Causes”). The most successful treatment today for depression is therapy and/or prescript-ed medication. The other common causes of suicide are other mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, postpartum depression, PTSD, or others similar. Today, it is a constant battle to find ways to prevent suicide more efficiently.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Vital Statistics reported that Suicide was the 10th leading of cause of death within the United States in 2013, accounting for approximately 41,149 deaths per year or 112 deaths per day (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). The CDC Division of Violence Prevention defines suicide as “death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with any intent to die as a result of the behavior” (CDC, 2015, pg. 1). Suicide rates have continued to rise each year since 2000, despite being identified as a leading health indicator in Healthy People 2010 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Suicide rates are expressed by the number of suicide deaths that occur for every 100,000 in a population. In 2012, suicide rates increased to 12.3 per 100,000 compared to data from 2000, which reported 10.4 suicide deaths per 100,000. According to records from 1999-2013, suicide rates in Montana have been consistently higher than the national average (Montana Vital Statistics, 2013). The current Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicator goal is to reduce the suicide rate from 11.3 to 10.2 suicide deaths per 100,000 population (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015). Suicide is a national and

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (Comer, 2016). For every one suicide, twenty-five more make an attempt. It is becoming a major mental health concern as the rate of suicidal behavior and death by suicide increases yearly worldwide. There is no single cause for suicide ideation or behavior, however; there are triggering factors that can precipitate or motivate someone to attempt suicide (Comer, 2016). These factors include drug or alcohol abuse and stressful life events or changes. Suicide is commonly accompanied by other mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. Treatments for suicide occur after a suicide attempt has been made or to prevent suicide from happening.

Suicide is currently the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury, 2017). On average, 121 Americans complete suicide each day (CDC Fatal Injuries Report 2015, 2015). The American people are living longer with advances to medical care and technology, yet suicide rates continue to rise. According to the CDC, suicide rates have increased by 24% from the year 1999 to 2014 (Curtain, Warner & Hedegaard, 2016). Consequently, the suicide epidemic continues to grow with no clear path to prevention. This literature review was conducted using the Robert Morris University Library online databases. Databases accessed include PubMed…………., from the years 2000 to 2017. Overall, most the articles obtained are