One of the leading causes of death across the U.S. is suicide.
In Maine, suicide follows unitentional injury as the No. 2 cause of youth deaths, according to the website www.maine.gov/ suicide/about/data/index.htm. About 20 youths commit suicide each year.
How to help |
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Every person who threatens to commit suicide should be taken seriously. If someone you know has threatened to commit suicide, seek help immediately.
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Suicidal thoughts may be triggered in youth by the death or divorce of parents, death of other family members, ridicule by classmates, bullying, breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, moving to a new area, other losses and drug/alcohol abuse.
The senior trainer for NAMI Maine’s suicide prevention program, Heather Carter, said recently that youth are impulsive, but that a suicide attempt in youth “is a very real cry for help.” She said the Maine law which recently went into effect requiring all school personnel to be trained to recognize warning signs and to be equipped to help students in crisis was an important step in preventing suicide among school-aged youth in Maine.
“Maine also has a statewide crisis line, which is answered regionally,” said Carter. “The State Crisis Line is (888) 568-1112.”
Suicide rate highest among elderly
While many youth commit suicide, Carter said the elderly actually have a higher suicide rate. A February 2007 report by the University of Maine Center on Aging (www.sprc.org/sites/ sprc.org/files/library/elderSPmaine.pdf) indicates adults age 75 years and older had the highest suicide rate of all age groups in Maine between 1999 and 2003.
A major cause of suicide in the elderly is untreated depression. Certain medical conditions and medications may contribute to depression. Persons with depression should be evaluated to determine the cause and whether treatment is warranted.
Carter said that the loss of a spouse, separation from family members who may live in another state and retirement may also contribute to depression among the elderly. She said that men especially get a lot of their identity from their profession and that retirement may represent a type of loss to them, which can precipitate a grief reaction.
According to the website www.suicide.org, approximately 750,000 people in the U.S. attempt suicide each year. More than 30,000 of those are successful. More people die each year by suicide than homicide.
One suicide in Maine every two days
The website www.maine.gov/suicide reveals that between 2005 and 2009 there were 902 suicide deaths reported in Maine, which equates to one person in this state committing suicide every 1.6 days on the average.
A number of factors may contribute to Maine’s high rate of suicide.
“Maine’s a very rural state,” said Carter. “Lack of resources (including financial barriers) and lack of access to therapy are both contributing factors. Maine’s also an older state and a very white state. Caucasians have a higher rate of suicide.”
Risk factors
The Federal Centers for Disease Control reports (www.cdc.gov/ ViolencePrevention/suicide/riskprotectivefactors.html) that the following are also risk factors for suicide:
- Family history of suicide
- Family history of child maltreatment
- Previous suicide attempts
- History of depression or other mental illness
- Barriers to accessing mental health treatment
- History of alcohol or drug abuse
- Easy access to lethal methods
- Local epidemics of suicide
- Unwillingness to seek help because stigma attached to mental health issues
- Isolation
- Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Loss (social, financial or relational)
- Physical illness
- Cultural and/or religious beliefs that suicide is a noble resolution for a personal dilemma
Protective factors
They report that there are also protective factors which can help to buffer individuals from suicidal thoughts and behavior. Those factors include:
- Problem solving skills and nonviolent methods of handling disputes
- Easy access to clinical interventions
- Ongoing support from medical and mental health care providers
- Effective clinical care for mental, physical and substance abuse disorders
- Cultural and religious beliefs that discourage suicide and support instincts for self-preservation, including seeking out help when needed
Warning signs
Experts report that in most cases, there are warning signs before a suicide takes place. The following are some of those signs:
- Increased drug or alcohol use
- Withdrawal from friends, family and society in general
- Dramatic mood changes
- Acting recklessly or engaging in risky activities
- Sleeping all the time or inability to sleep
- Verbal or written comments about wanting to end their life
- Looking for a means to take their life
- Giving away personal belongings
- Expressing feelings of hopelessness
- Expressing rage or talk of seeking revenge
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