How to Prevent Suicide

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

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people between ages 15 – 34. Now, the question is where’s the effort to stop it? If 90% of people who commit suicide have a mental illness,

People commit suicide on a daily basis, not only in the United States of America, but all over the entire world. Dying by suicide or losing someone from suicide can be incredibly traumatic for families, loved ones, and the victim. Also, dying from suicide by hanging, shooting, or harming oneself is not the utmost, moral, or ethical way to die, due to the physical pain. Furthermore, there are a

Healthy People 2020 set a goal of reducing the number of completed suicides among the adult population by ten percent. This is a reoccurring theme from Healthy People 2010, where the goal was to reduce the number of suicides from 10.5 to 4.8 per 100,000. Unfortunately, from 2003

Suicide does not generally come without warning. Almost always, persons considering it show symptoms or provide clues to their intent. It is important, however, for crisis workers to know how to read these and be able to distinguish between myth and reality. (Kanel, 2003, p. 76)

I plan on being a Naturopathic Physician with an emphasis on Mental Health. I feel like it will be very important to work on suicide prevention for patients in that setting, because I will most likely be seeing patients with more risk factors for suicide. It will also be important

Medical care in America is estimated to cost $2.7 trillion each year with roughly 30 percent of that cost attributed to ineffective or redundant care, approximately $800 billion (America's Health Insurance Plans, 2014; FOX, 2010). Within this section $44.6 billion is attributed to suicide treatment and medical cost (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). The CDD further estimates that with approximately 40,000 people dying of suicide annually suicide contributes to the 10th leading cause of death for Americans, narrowly being outstrode by kidney disease and influenza yet still achieving a higher overall medical cost than the ninth and eighth ranked causes of death (Keren, Zaoutis, Saddlemire, Luan, & Coffin, 2006;Webberley, 2015).

"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.

Core strategies such as coping mechanisms, creating protective environments, and enhancing access to suicide care and services are presented. Gaining clarity on the CDC’s approaches to suicide reduction in this report will further my ability to evaluate biopsychosocial interventions and the pivotal role of community.

Surgeon General and of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action, 2012 recognizes that prevention should be combined in all fragments of our lives, family members, health care providers, educators, communities and government should be working together in preventing suicide. Goals and objectives are directed to “create supportive environments that promote healthy and empowered individuals, families, and communities; enhance clinical and community preventive services; promote the availability of timely treatment and support services, and improve suicide prevention surveillance collection, research, and evaluation” (National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action,

One of the goals of Healthy People 2020 is to reduce the suicide rate in the U.S. which is currently one of the top 10 causes of death. It is clearly in issue and vital to address this issue because these rates have had a steady incline from 1999-2014. This had led to an age-related suicide rate of 24% because it has gone from 10.5 to 13.0 deaths per 100,000. With such a modernized country, I would think that we would have done something about this earlier on by having more programs and being more proactive about this gruesome problem.

1.1 Aim The aim of this report is investigate the impacts of youth suicide and how it can be prevented. 1.2 Parameter To investigate the impacts of youth suicide in Australia and USA and how it can be prevented 1.3 Thesis Society should take notice of signs of youth suicide such as depression and reduce

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.

The entire ordeal began with the release of the Central for Disease Control’s report on the increasing rates of suicide. The research started in early 1999 since suicide rates were extremely low. This way, the increase would be able to show a larger amount of information and a better growth. There was a definite, overall growth, of 24% in the number of deaths by suicide in 1999 versus 2014 (CDC 2016). Most groups went through an increase except for males over 75, whose rate decreased by 8% throughout the given time period. All the other groups, defined by age, gender and ethnicity, had staggering increases.One group in particular, girls aged 10-14, underwent the biggest increase, with their rates tripling.

The organization was tasked with establishing goals and objectives to prevent suicide across the nation (“Goals and Objectives” 1). Though the initiatives the National Strategy of Suicide Prevention set in place may be effective, suicide rates continue to climb amongst