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Announcements

  • SAMHSA launches new toolkit on suicide prevention in high schools

    Developed through a contract with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors in collaboration with Education Development Center, Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools aims at reducing the risk of suicide among high school students by providing research-based guidelines and resources to assist school personnel and leadership, providers and others to identify teenagers at risk and take appropriate measures to provide help. Drawing on key elements of evidence-based programs, the toolkit offers information on screening tools, warning signs and risk factors of suicide, statistics and parent education materials that are easily adaptable to any high school setting.

    For more information

  • SPRC/AFSP add Recommendations for School-based Suicide Prevention Screening to the Best Practices Registry

    These recommendations were developed by the Lessons Learned Working Group (LLWG), a partnership of multiple agencies and key stakeholders in suicide prevention. The LLWG created these recommendations for school-based suicide prevention screening based on a review of research literature; Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) program screening data; and the experiences of GLS grantees. The recommendations stress early involvement of all stakeholders and advise that screening programs should be developed in conjunction with a comprehensive strategic plan that assesses the local context and the available resources to address the problem.

    For more information
     

Research

  • Sex Differences in Older Adult Suicide

    The authors of a study of suicide among adults 60 years of age and older concluded that “a better understanding of the multi-faceted differences between male and female older adults who take their own lives can help to develop a more comprehensive understanding of specific outcomes so that targeted prevention strategies may be implemented.” They suggested that older adult males “may benefit greatly from programs that seek to keep them active in later life, facilitate their access to mental health services, assist them in dealing with immediate crises, and evaluate their access to highly lethal weapons.” Older adult females…may benefit greatly from services to assist them in the earlier stages of the aging process, dealing with widowhood, and close monitoring of prescription medications….”The researchers carried out this study using 2007-2009 data from the National Violent Death Recording System to learn how to meet the differing suicide prevention needs of older men and women, and to demonstrate the value of surveillance systems for understanding suicide. The data analysis revealed that older men die by suicide at a rate nearly six times that of women. The rate for men increases with age, while the rate for women remains fairly level. There were some patterns common to both men and women. The most common location of suicide by both sexes was the home, the most common means were firearms, and the most common precipitator was physical illness. Fewer than one in four older adults who died by suicide were known to have a history of suicide attempts.But there were also important differences between men and women. The rate of firearms-related suicide for men was more than 11 times that of women. Firearms were involved in 78 percent of suicides by men and 38 percent of women. The second leading means of suicide by men (behind firearms) was hanging/strangulation/suffocation (10 percent). In contrast, women most often used poison (41 percent). Most suicide by poisoning by both sexes involved prescription drugs, although women were more likely to be tested for drugs after a suicide than men. Depression and dysthymia accounted for about 80 percent of the mental health diagnoses among both sexes. But women were significantly more likely to have been diagnosed for mental health problems, to be in treatment at the time of their death, and to test positive for antidepressants and opiates.

    SPRC Commentary:

    This study highlights the value of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) as a tool for understanding suicide and planning prevention activities. The NVDRS includes a wealth of information that is not included in the National Vital Statistics System, including variables related to mental health issues and treatment (including drug and alcohol abuse); precipitating events (including legal, school, or financial problems and the death or suicide of family members or friends); and whether the person who died had a history of suicide attempts or disclosed an intent to die by suicide prior to the event. The ability of the NVDRS to generate state data is a powerful method of showing how suicide “hits home” which can help generate support for suicide prevention among policymakers and other stakeholders.

    Karch, D. (2011). Sex differences in suicide incident characteristics and circumstances among older adults: surveillance data from the National Violent Death Reporting System—17 U.S. states, 2007-2009. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8(8):3479-3495. (Full-text of this article is freely available.)

    For more information and to access NVDRS data online.

     

News

National News

  • Booklet teaches Mormon parents how to help their gay children

    Supportive Families, Healthy Children: Helping Latter-day Saint Families with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Children is the first booklet in the Family Acceptance Project’s series aimed at helping members of different faith groups learn to be more supportive of their gay children. Caitlin Ryan, a researcher at San Francisco State University, wrote the booklet with Robert Rees, a former Latter-day Saint (LDS) bishop who advocates for gay and lesbian members of his faith. In writing the booklet (which offers suggestions for ways parents can respond to a gay child with love, even if they disapprove of some of their behavior) Ryan wanted to find a way to “build on the innate strength of Mormon families, empowering them to care for their children.” The booklet will be distributed through grassroots LDS organizations such as Family Fellowship, a volunteer service organization that seeks to strengthen families with gay and lesbian members.

    Jun 14, 2012

    The Salt Lake Tribune

     

     

    Download the Helping Latter-day Saint Families booklet.

State News

  • Deer Creek Health and Wellness program receives a thumbs-up

    This article describes the success of Deer Creek’s School Health and Wellness program, which has provided students and teachers with a number of different services during its first year in existence. These included counseling sessions for 88 students (of which 12 were identified as having suicidal thoughts and were provided with appropriate services), as well as counseling for seven school employees. Some of the counseling has been provided by psychology interns from three Oklahoma universities, which have shown a lot of interest in the program because it allows students to get direct counseling experience. The program also provided 23 support groups in elementary and middle schools on topics like friendship, stress management, and grief. In addition, the Lifelines suicide prevention program was made available to Deer Creek High School freshmen.

    Jun 12, 2012

    The Edmond Sun

     

    Read more about the Lifelines suicide prevention program.

     

  • More mental health specialists hired for VA clinics

    The VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System will be adding 24 new mental health staff members, including doctors, therapists, and nurses, between now and next fall. The increased staffing levels are intended to allow for faster treatment for service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health and emotional issues such as post-traumatic stress issues, depression, and substance abuse. The new hires are part of a nationwide hiring campaign authorized by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

    Jun 14, 2012

    The Brownsville Herald

International News

  • Rail forum bid to help suicide witnesses

    Australia

    Railway operators from across Australia will come together next month for a groundbreaking meeting on railway trauma. Attendees plan to compare the counseling their companies provide for train drivers who witness suicide deaths and serious accidents, and discuss how efforts could be improved. “Some people will never get over [railway trauma] and never return to work,” said Australasian Railway Association chief executive Bryan Nye. “They’re the silent victims and we’ve got to try to do something to help them.” According to Nye, railway operators are considering offering drivers peer-to-peer counseling, which is currently available to police and paramedics in Victoria.

    Jun 13, 2012

    The Sydney Morning Herald