Help is available to prevent suicides

September is designated National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month and has earned recognition. In America, suicide is the number one cause of injury-related deaths, recently surpassing vehicle accidents, and the tenth leading cause of overall deaths.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there has been a 30% increase in suicides since 1998 and it is not age dependent. Suicide rates of those ages 5-14 has increased 60% between 1981 and 2010 and is the second leading cause of death for those 15-24 years, the CDC reports.

A 2018 Vital Statistics Report has identified Montana as having the fourth highest suicide rate in the nation. The CDC has identified the following factors as contributors to the high suicide rate in Montana:

vitamin D deficiencies

altitude increases metabolic stress due to oxygen deprivation when above 2,500 feet (average altitude where Montana suicides occur is at 3,500 feet)

one-fifth of Montana kids live 100% below the federal poverty level

Montana has a high concentration of groups with higher suicide rates (veterans, American Indians, middle-age white men)

social isolation gives a feeling of being alone

difficult access to psychiatrists and primary care

high rates of alcohol consumption for coping

access to lethal means (65% of suicides are by firearms)

the view that depression is a weakness.

It has been identified that 70% to 80% of those who commit suicide gave warning signs. The Sanders County Local Advisory Council (whose Facebook name is Sanders County Mental Health Advocates) is available to assist and help identify a path toward suicide prevention when suspected. Additional suicide prevention resources can be found at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org, http://www.suicidology.org, http://www.nami.org, http://www.afsp.org, and http://www.thetrevorproject.org (provides support services to gay, lesbian bisexual, transgender youth).

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Suicide Prevention Coordinator Karl Rosston has developed “Suicide in Montana: Facts, Figures, and Formulas for Prevention,” an informational guide for recognizing, managing, and finding help for suicidal situations. The handbook can be found by visiting http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/suicideprevention.

At a previously held LAC forum, Western Montana Mental Health Center Director Abby Harnett stated it is important to talk openly to someone suspected of being suicidal. Directly asking them if they are thinking of suicide or have had thoughts of suicide is crucial. In addition, never leaving a suicidal person alone and making yourself available to them is important.

For those who need assistance and prefer a phone call or need to talk, a 24-hour crisis text line has been developed and can be utilized by texting MT to 741-741 or calling (800) 273-TALK (8255). In the case of an immediate emergency, always call 911 first.