About Suicide
 

What is suicide?
Suicide is the deliberate taking or ending of one's own life. It is often associated with a severe crisis that does not go away, that may worsen over time, or that may appear hopeless. Friends or loved ones in crisis may show signs that indicate that they are at risk of attempting or committing suicide.

How does suicide rank with other causes of death?

  • Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than 1% of all deaths.
  • More years of life are lost to suicide than to any other single cause except heart disease and cancer.

How many deaths by suicide occur in the U.S.?

  • 30,000 Americans die by suicide each year.
  • an additional 500,000 Americans attempt suicide annually.

What role does age have in suicides?

  • Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24, and the fourth leading cause of death among 25 to 44-year-olds in the United States.
  • Suicide rates are highest in old age: 20% of the population and 40% of suicide victims are over 60. After age 75, the rate is three times higher than average, and among white men over 80, it is six times higher than average.

Is it common for a person to make more than one attempt?

  • Yes. 30% to 40% of persons who died by suicide have made a previous attempt.
  • The actual ratio of attempts to completed suicides is approximately 10 to 1.
  • The risk of suicide is more than 100 times greater than average in the first year after an attempt - 80 times greater for women, 200 times greater for men, 200 times greater for people over 45, and 300 times greater for white men over 65.

What role does substance abuse have in suicide?

  • Substance abuse/misuse is another key risk factor associated with suicide. Substance abuse may be involved in half of all cases. About 20% of suicides involve people with alcohol problems, and the lifetime rate of suicide among people with alcohol-use problems is at least three or four times the average. Completed suicides are more likely to be men over 45 who are depressed or alcoholic.

What are some other common methods of suicide?

  • Firearms, suffocation, and poison are by far the most common methods of suicide.

Do men and women differ in the methods they use?
Yes, see the following table:

Suicide by: Males (%) Females (%)
Firearms 56 30
Suffocation 24 21
Poisoning 13 40

What do studies say about suicide in the Military?

  • Of all active duty suicides between 2003 and 2009: 94.4% were male; modal age was 21; 74.3% were Caucasian; 52.1% were married; 57.1% were junior enlisted; 20.7% were in the infantry; 83.3% were Active Component; 69.3% had one or more deployments; 67.5% were by gunshot; 19.8 were by hanging; 4.6% were by overdose (drugs/alcohol).
  • Historically, the Army suicide rate has been significantly lower than the civilian rate (the civilian rate, demographically adjusted, is typically about 19.2 per 100,000). However, suicide and accidental death rates began trending upward in 2004, and in 2008, the Army suicide rate crested above the national average and reached a record of 20.2 per 100,000.
  • Veterans aged 20 through 24, those who have served during the war on terror, had the highest suicide rate among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age. (The suicide rate for non-veterans is 8.3 per 100,000, while the rate for veterans was found to be between 22.9 and 31.9 per 100,000.)
  • For every suicide death in 2009, at least five members of the armed forces were hospitalized for attempting to take their life.
  • According to the Navy Times, 2 percent of Army; 2.3 percent of Marines, and 3 percent of Navy respondents to the military’s own survey of 28,536 members from all branches reported they had attempted suicide at some point.
  • A 2007 CBS study put the suicide rate among male veterans aged 20 to 24 at four times the national average—more than 40 per 100,000 per year.
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs reported in January 2010, that the suicide rate among 17 to 29-year-old male veterans jumped 26 percent from 2005 to 2007.
  • On average, 18 veterans per day take their own lives.

What are some of the key suicide risk factors in the military?

  • The most prevalent individual stressor was relationship problems, which were present in 58% of the suicide deaths in 2009.
  • Data collected since 2005 show that approximately 29% of suicides included either drug or alcohol use.
  • Almost 30% of the Army’s suicide deaths from 2003 to 2009, and over 45% of the non-fatal suicide behavior from 2005 to 2009, involved the use of drugs or alcohol.
  • The "Defense Survey of Health-Related Behaviors" found "dangerous levels" of alcohol abuse and the illicit use of drugs such as pain killers by 12 percent of military personnel.
  • 25% had some form of closed or pending misdemeanor or felony investigation.
  • Military or work stress, as defined in the Department of Defense Suicide Event Report (DoDSER), is recognized as the second most prevalent individual risk factor and has contributed to 50% of the suicide deaths from 2005 to 2009.
  • A history of legal/law enforcement encounters and disciplinary/administrative actions were present in 34% of the suicide deaths between 2005 and 2009.
  • A history of behavioral health diagnosis is strongly associated with increased incidence of high risk and suicidal behaviors.
  • Diagnosed cases of PTSD have steadily increased in the Army since 2003. Untreated PTSD can lead to suicidal behavior.
  • A study of veterans with PTSD published last August 2009 by the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that 47 percent had had suicidal thoughts before seeking treatment and 3 percent had attempted to kill themselves.
  • In a study of 300,000 male U.S. Army soldiers, a definitive link between suicide and smoking was observed with those smoking over a pack a day having twice the suicide rate of non-smokers.

Are there any false beliefs or misconceptions about suicide?
Yes. Here are five common misconceptions about suicide:

People who talk about suicide won't really do it.
This is False. Almost everyone who commits or attempts suicide has given some clue or warning. Suicide threats should never be ignored. No matter how casually or jokingly said, statements like "You'll be sorry when I'm dead," or "I can't see any way out" may indicate serious suicidal feelings.

Anyone who tries to kill him/herself must be crazy.
This is False. Most suicidal people are not psychotic or crazy. They must be upset, grief-stricken, depressed or despairing, but extreme distress and emotional pain are not necessarily signs of severe mental illness or craziness.

If a person is determined to kill him/herself, nothing is going to stop him/her.
This is False. Even the most severely depressed person has mixed feelings about death, wavering until the very last moment between wanting to live and wanting to die. Most suicidal people do not want death; they want the pain to stop. The impulse to end it all, however overpowering, does not last forever.

People who commit suicide are people who were unwilling to seek help .
This is False. Studies of suicide victims have shown that more than half had sought medical help within six months before their deaths.

Talking about suicide may give someone the idea.
This is False. You don't give a suicidal person morbid ideas by talking about suicide. The opposite is true — bringing up the subject of suicide and discussing it openly is one of the most helpful things you can do.

What should I do if a friend of loved one mentions suicide?
First, take seriously all suicide threats and all suicide attempts. If you think a person is having suicidal thoughts, get more information. Remember, asking questions will not increase the person’s suicidal thoughts. It will give you information that indicates how strongly the person has thought about killing himself or herself.

If someone I know mentions suicide, what should I ask?

  • "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" (Ask directly if he/she is having suicidal thoughts/ ideas.)
  • "Have you ever tried to hurt yourself before?" (A past history of suicide attempts is one of the strongest risk factors for death by suicide.)
  • "Do you think you might try to hurt yourself today?" (Is the thought fleeting, or does the person have a clear plan and intent to commit self-harm imminently?)
  • "Have you thought about ways that you might hurt yourself?" "Do you have pills/weapons in the house?" (Find out about the availability of lethal means to carry out the act).

Is there an easy way to remember suicide's "red flags"?
Yes. Learn the Is Path Warmmemory aid:

  • Is Path Warm?
      • I deation – threatened or communicated
      • S ubstance Abuse – excessive or increased

      • P urposeless – no reason for living
      • A nxiety – agitation/insomnia
      • T rapped – feeling there is no way out
      • H opelessness – believing that the situation will not improve

    • W ithdrawing – from friends, family, society
    • A nger (uncontrolled) – rage, seeking revenge
    • R ecklessness – risky acts, unthinking
    • M ood Changes (dramatic) – depression followed by calm or happiness

Is there anything else I should do?
Yes, be sure to take action.

  • If you think the person might harm himself or herself, do not leave the person alone.
  • Say, "I'm going to get you some help."
  • Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You will be connected to the nearest available crisis center. Or….
  • Go to SAMHSA's Mental Health Services Locator or Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator.
  • If you’re a health care worker, note that there is no evidence that "no-suicide contracts" prevent suicide. In fact, such contracts may give counselors a false sense of reassurance.

What if I lose someone to a suicide?
Individuals experience grief uniquely and at their own pace. For some, the experience of grief following a loss can be intense, complex, and long term, while others are able to more readily ‘move on’. The grieving process varies from individual to the next because of many factors: having coped with prior losses; the quality of the relationship with the deceased; the availability of a support system, and so on. What is certain is that the lives of the survivors will be different.

At first, and periodically during the next days and months following the loss, survivors may feel an array of sometimes overwhelming emotions. The expression of varying emotions, sometimes accompanied by tears, is a natural part of grieving.

Common feelings experienced during grieving include: abandonment, depression, hopelessness, sadness, anger, despair, loneliness, self-blame, anxiety, disbelief, numbness, shame, confusion, guilt, pain, shock, denial, helplessness, rejection, and, of course, general life stress.

With so many feelings to manage, how can I cope?

  1. Take things one day at a time.
  2. Know you can survive; you may not think so, but you can.
  3. Consider getting professional help.
  4. It is okay to not understand "why" it happened; suicide may be difficult to understand and we often are left with unanswered questions.
  5. Know you may feel overwhelmed by the intensity of your feelings but that all your feelings are normal.
  6. Contact a support group or organization for survivors such as TAPS. TAPS is the 24/7 tragedy assistance resource for anyone who has suffered the loss of a military loved one. Their toll-free hotline number is 1-800-959-TAPS (8277).
  7. Find a good listener with whom to share. Call someone if you need to talk.
  8. Don't be afraid to cry. Tears are healing.
  9. Give yourself time to heal.
  10. Remember, the choice was not yours. No one is the sole influence on another's life.
  11. Expect setbacks. If emotions return like a tidal wave, you may only be experiencing a remnant of grief, an unfinished piece.
  12. If possible, delay major decisions.
  13. Be aware of the pain your family and friends may be feeling too. Talking about the person and grieving together can be healing.
  14. Be patient with yourself and others who may not understand.
  15. Set limits and learn to say no.
  16. Avoid people who want to tell you what or how to feel.
  17. Call on your personal faith to help you through.
  18. It is common to experience physical reaction to your grief, e.g. headaches, loss of appetite, inability to sleep.
  19. It is okay to laugh; it may even be healing.
  20. Accept your questions, anger, guilt or other feelings until you can let them go.
  21. Letting go doesn't mean forgetting.
  22. Know that you will never be the same again, but that you can survive and even go beyond just surviving.

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