| The Surgeon General wants to Prevent Suicide | |
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The United States now has a 'National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.' The Surgeon General of the U.S. announced this strategy on May 2, 2001. His office is working together with other Federal mental health agencies to set goals and plan the strategy. A summary of the strategy available Online lists the following "aims" of the strategy:
- Prevent premature deaths due to suicide across the life span
- Reduce the rates of other suicidal behaviors
- Reduce the harmful after-effects associated with suicidal behaviors and the traumatic impact of suicide on family and friends
- Promote opportunities and settings to enhance resiliency, resourcefulness, respect, and interconnectedness for individuals, families, and communities
These aims are followed by 11 goals:
- Goal 1: Promote Awareness that Suicide is a Public Health Problem that is Preventable
- Goal 2: Develop Broad-based Support for Suicide Prevention
- Goal 3: Develop and Implement Strategies to Reduce the Stigma Associated with Being a Consumer of Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Suicide Prevention Services
- Goal 4: Develop and Implement Suicide Prevention Programs
- Goal 5: Promote Efforts to Reduce Access to Lethal Means and Methods of Self-Harm
- Goal 6: Implement Training For Recognition of At-Risk Behavior and Delivery of Effective Treatment
- Goal 7: Develop and Promote Effective Clinical and Professional Practices
- Goal 8: Improve Access to and Community Linkages with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
- Goal 9: Improve Reporting and Portrayals of Suicidal Behavior, Mental Illness, and Substance Abuse in the Entertainment and News Media
- Goal 10: Promote and Support Research on Suicide and Suicide Prevention
- Goal 11: Improve and Expand Surveillance Systems
Why launch this initiative now? Have suicide rates been increasing? Not according to the Surgeon General. In a CNN interview he stated:
The rate of suicide has been fairly stable at about 10 to 11 per 100,000 people. I think what we're especially concerned about is the growing rate among young people and the fact that suicide has tripled among adolescents since 1952. Just in the last 20 years or so, we've seen a doubling of suicide in the 10-14-year-old age group. Likewise, among African American males between 15 and 19, suicide has doubled since 1980, according to recent CDC reports. (CNN transcript 5/2/01)
Why this increase in youth suicide rates? I'm not sure that anyone really knows. We intuitively seem to know that it's harder to grow up these days. Youth violence has taken on a different character, and suicide can be seen as a form of violence turned inward. Some of the factors responsible for the increasingly high-profile teen murders may also be behind the increase in suicide among young people.
While the debate about assisted-suicide for the terminally ill is likely to continue for years, there is little debate about suicide among those with a mental disorder. In such cases suicidal thoughts and behavior are usually considered to be a symptom of the disorder. People are most likely to seriously consider suicide as a solution to life's problems when they are unable to see other less drastic solutions. This often reflects a "tunnel vision" accompanying depression, bipolar disorder, and similar illnesses. Helping a suicidal person see that other alternatives exist will often reduce their suicidal thinking.
One of the best resources for anyone considering suicide continues to be the Metanoia page "Suicide: Read this First." This resource is written by "someone who knows what it is like to be in pain" (and who also knows how to write about such a difficult subject). Other Online resources include Befrienders International and The Samaritans. These sites will exchange emails with persons in pain - including suicidal persons - without judging or even intervening to save a life. The Surgeon General's site recommends that people in the U.S. call a local crisis center or call 1-800-SUICIDE. If you are considering suicide talk with someone about it. There are alternatives.
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