Suicide

1
Suicide

• Issues with teens, sexual abuse victims and the
  elderly

2
Signs of Suicide (SOS)

• Teaches teens that depression is a treatable
  illness
• Empowers them to respond to potential suicide by
  using the ACT Technique

3
ACT Technique

• ACKNOWLEDGE the signs of suicide
• Respond with CARE
• TELL a responsible adult

4
Acknowledge

• Do take it seriously
• 70 of all people who commit suicide give some
  warning of their intentions
• Do be willing to listen

5
Care

• Do voice your concern
• Take the initiative to ask what is troubling
  them.
• Attempt to overcome any reluctance on their pare
  to talk about it

6
Treatment

• Do get profession help immediately
• Call 1-800-273-TALK to find resources in your
  area
• Bring your friend to local emergency room or
  community mental center
• Your friend will be more likely to seek help if
  you accompany them

7
What NOT to do

• Dont try to cheer the person up or tell them to
  snap out of it
• Dont assume the situation will take care of
  itself
• Dont be sworn to secrecy
• Dont argue or debate moral issues
• Dont risk your personal safety. Just leave and
  then call the police

8
SOS

• Only school based program that has shown a
  reduction in suicide attempts in randomized study
• Has documented increases in help-seeking

9
According to SOS

• 17 of students have thought about suicide
• 11 of have attempted suicide
• 5 had attempted suicide in the past year

10
SOS College Student Program

• The program is implemented by existing college
  personnel
• 26 of college students who scored positive for
  depression had though or wanted to commit suicide
• 27 of college students who screened positive for
  bipolar disorder had thought about or wanted to
  commit suicide

11
SOS Community Suicide Prevention Program

• Designed for implementation by community-based
  organizations, hospitals or health centers
• 31 of adults who scored positive for depression
  had thought about or wanted to commit suicide
• 32 of adults who scored positive for bipolar
  disorder had thought about or wanted to commit
  suicide

12
Older Adults

• 11 of those 65 and older thought about or wanted
  to commit suicide
• Feel Good Bingo teaches older adults about the
  signs, symptoms and treatment options for
  depression and anxiety
• It is designed to be used in assisted living
  facilities, senior housing and community centers

13
National Mental Health Screening Day- October 6th

• First and largest nationwide, community-based
  mental health screening program
• Provides screening for
• Depression
• Bipolar Disorder
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• PTSD

14
Two Bakersfield locations

• Beale Memorial Library Auditorium
• on Truxtun Avenue
• Kern County Public Health Building
• on Mt. Vernon, next to KMC

15
World Suicide Prevention Day

• September 10th
• Prevention of suicide is everybodys business.
• Collaboration of International Association for
  Suicide Prevention and World Health Organization
  (WHO)

16

• Approximately one million lives are lost annually
  due to suicide
• Suicide is one of the leading causes of death
  worldwide, especially in younger people

17

• Suicide profoundly affects individuals, families,
  workplaces, neighborhoods, and societies
• More lives are lost to suicide than in all wars
  and homicides worldwide every year

18
Warning Signs

• Key Messages
• Someone threatening to hurt or kill themselves,
  or talking of wanting to hurt or kill themselves
• Someone looking for ways to kill themselves by
  seeking access to
• firearms, pills or other means

19
Warning Signs

• Exhibits one of the following
• Hopelessness
• Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
• Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities,
  seemingly without thinking
• Feeling trapped like there is no way out
• Increasing alcohol or drug use

20
Warning Signs

• Withdrawing from friends, family and society
• Anxiety, agitation, unable to sleep or sleeping
  all the time
• Dramatic mood changes
• No reason for living no sense of purpose in life

21
Sexual Assault Victimization and Suicidal Behavior

• Based on research by Sarah Ullman, et al., (2004)
• It is well established that women attempt suicide
  more than men
• Females made three suicide attempts for each
  attempt made by a male

22

• 1 in 10 adolescent girls are estimated to attempt
  suicide in their lifetime
• Compared with 1 in 25 adolescent boys

23

• 5 of U.S. adults made a lifetime suicide attempt
• Two-thirds of which were female

24
History of sexual victimization

• 20-30 of women have been sexually abused in
  childhood and/or adulthood
• Sexual revictimization is also common with one
  third of child sexual abuse

25

• Women with a history of sexual victimization have
  also reported
• PTSD
• Depression
• Sexual problems
• Physical health problems
• Increased healthcare utilization

26

• Adults reporting sexual and/or physical abuse in
  childhood report more
• Self harm
• Suicidal ideation
• Suicidal behavior
• Than those without a childhood victimization
  history.

27

• The link of childhood trauma and adult self-harm
  or suicide is strongest when abuse was
• Of long duration
• By known perpetrators
• Involved force and/or penetration

28
Suicidal behavior may be at higher risk if

• Younger
• Less educated
• Unemployed
• From certain ethnic minority groups (Latina)

29
Self Harm

• Women who had been sexually abused as children
  reported more self-harm
• Especially if they had experienced more intrusive
  and frequent abuse

30
Suicide Lesbian, Gay and Bisexuals

• Compared with their heterosexual peers, lesbians,
  gays and bisexuals youths have higher rates of
  suicidal ideation and attempted suicide
• It is possible that risk markers for suicidal
  behavior differs between LGB and non-LGB
  individuals

31

• If differences are true, than suicidal
  interventions that generically target risk
  markers without regard to sexual orientation may
  be ineffective

32
Non-LGB populations

• Problem drinking
• Problem drug use
• Depression
• Were all found to be associated with elevated
  risk for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts

33
LGB populations

• Problem drinking and depression
• Were found to be associated with elevated risk
  for suicidal ideation

34
LGB Populations

• Problem drinking, drug use and depression were
  NOT associated with increased risk for suicide
  attempts

35
Conclusion

• LGB adolescents and young adults may need a
  different treatment focus
• And alternate points of entry to health services