New strategy for suicide prevention, first change in 11 years - KMSP-TV

For the first time in 11 years, the U.S. government is updating its guidelines and national strategy for suicide prevention. With 100 Americans dying every day due to suicide, the U.S. Surgeon General announced the new strategy Monday.

One of the people who worked on these guidelines is Dan Reidenberg, the executive director of SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices for Education). He was the task force that met about this new strategy and is responsible for the first major section of the guidelines.

The new national strategy details new ways to identify people at risk for suicide, and outlines national priorities for suicide prevention.

The revisions reflect major developments in suicide prevention, research and practice during the past decade. Examples include:

• An increased understanding of the link between suicide and other health issues.
• New knowledge on groups at increased risk.
• Evidence of the effectiveness of suicide prevention interventions
• Increased recognition of the value of comprehensive and coordinated prevention efforts

With the suicide problem in teens we've seen in Minnesota, the topic has hit home very hard for many people here. More than 8 million adults report having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, 2.5 million report making a suicide attempt in the past year and  1.1 million report a suicide report in the past year.

Nearly 16 percent of students in grades 9 to 12 report having seriously considered suicide, and 7.8 percent report having attempted suicide once or more in the past 12 months.

These numbers really make you think about what more can and needs to be done to make sure people don't feel killing themselves is the only way out. Hopefully, this new strategy will save lives and this strategy may be able to do that.

2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention fact sheet
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/national-strategy-suicide-prevention/factsheet.pdf

WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIORS

Everyone can play a role in preventing suicide by being aware of the warning signs of suicidal behaviors:

• Talking about wanting to die; feeling hopeless, trapped, or in unbearable pain, being a burden to others
• Looking for a way to kill oneself
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
• Acting anxious, agitated, or reckless
• Sleeping too little or too much
• Withdrawing or feeling isolated
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
• Displaying extreme mood swings.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

If you believe someone is at risk of suicide:

• Ask them if they are thinking about killing themselves. (This will not put the idea into their heads, or make it more likely that they will attempt suicide.);
• Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255);
• Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional;
• Remove any objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and
• If possible, do not leave the person alone.

RESOURCES

For additional information about the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, visit:

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/national-strategy-suicide-prevention/index.html
http://www.samhsa.gov/nssp
http://www.actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/NSSP
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
http://www.sprc.org