5
Within
Initiative to Prevent Impulsive Suicidal Behavior
Shawnee Mission North High School
Situation in Kansas
O In 2008, the suicide rate among Kansas
youth ages 15-19 was 10.5 per 100,000.
O From 1999-2007, ages 0-19
O 1220 Unintentional injuries (70% MVAs)
O 206 Suicides (plus 19 more unspecified
firearm deaths)
O 179 Homicides
O 172 Cancers
Situation in Johnson County
O For the 20 years ending 2009
O Suicides of youth 0-24 years of age
O Johnson County
O 143 total, or about 7 per year
Suicide Early Warning Signs
O Withdrawal
O Preoccupation with death
O Marked personality change & serious mood
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O
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changes
Difficulty concentrating
Decline in quality of school work
Change in eating habits
Change in sleeping patterns-insomnia and
hypersomina
Early Warning Signs
O Loss of interest in favorite activities
O Frequent complaints about physical
symptoms, often related to emotions
(stomachaches, headaches, fatigue)
O Persistent boredom
Late Warning Signs
O Talking about suicide-specific plans
O Impulsive or violent actions, rebellious
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O
O
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behavior, or running away
Refusing help or feeling beyond help
Claiming to be a bad person
Hopelessness, helplessness, or
worthlessness
Worsening of sleep disturbance (last week
of life)
Late Warning Signs
O Being intolerant of praise or rewards
O Making statements that hint at or directly
imply suicide
O Suddenly cheerful after a period of
depression
O Making a last will and testament
Impulsivity
O 25% of 153 survivors of near lethal suicide
attempts acted within 5 minutes of the impulse
to do so
O 71% acted within one hour
Factors associated with the medical severity of
suicide attempts in youths and young adult
(Swahn MH, Potter LB, 2001)
Crisis/% same day by age
33%
21%
20%
13%
6%
0-17
18-24
25-44
Age Group
N=1,671 CT,ME,UT,WI, Allegheny County, San Francisco County
45-64
65+
Suicide is not a “destiny”
O 90% of survivors of near-lethal suicide
attempts do not complete suicide thereafter
O Individuals who are suicidal usually do not
have a plan B
O That is why we limit access to lethal suicide
methods
Seiden Study
O Seiden found that cutting off or slowing
down an individuals means to act on
suicide, allows time for the impulse to passperhaps even blocks the impulse from being
triggered to begin with.
“The British Coal-Gas Story”
O For generations, the English heated their
O
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homes and fueled their stoves with coal gas
Coal is very deadly in unburned form
In 1950’s “Sticking one’s head in the oven”
accounted for some 2,500 suicides a year
Once the nation moved to natural gas,
Britain’s national suicide rate dropped by
nearly a third
In a moment of deep despair, rage or
sadness, people will turn to ways that are
quick and available
Lock it Up
O Firearms are the most common method of
suicide by youth. This is true for both males and
females, younger and older adolescents, and for
all races (Kachur et al., 1995)
O The most common location for the occurrence of
firearm suicides by youth is the home (Brent et
al., 1993)
O There is a positive association between the
accessibility and availability of firearms in the
home and the risk for youth suicide (Brent et al.,
1993; Kellerman et al., 1992)
Guns used in suicide
Youth
17 and under
Rifles and Shotguns
54%
Handguns
46%
Handguns
Rifles or Shotguns
The vast majority (~90%) of firearms used in
suicides come from the victims homes.
Restriction is the BEST
O Firearms play a major role in suicide
O We promote safe storage
O 4 Strategies each protect
O Trigger locks
O Lock Boxes
O Cabinets
O Lock ammo in separate location
“Within 5”
O Initiative to Lock Up all firearms within the
home to prevent suicide
O We are asking Parents, Grandparents and
Family Friends to lock up all firearms in the
home
O Give our young people
time to change their
minds
Safe Boxes and Tigger Locks
O Gunvault NV200
O Gunvault Multi Storage
O Winchester Personal Drawer Safe
O DTX SafeQuarter Master 7650
O Project Child Safe
Walmart $28.19
Walmart $139-$159
Walmart $44.97
Walmart $
Cable-Style Gun Lock
Free through local Police Departments
National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/