[net.suicide] Suicide - Some Statistics

nazgul@apollo.uucp (Kee Hinckley) (11/07/85)

...don't try suicide, nobody likes it... -Queen

The following are excerpts from about 20 pages of information on suicide
and its causes.  I want to thank my father (Edward C. Hinckley, Maine
Department of Mental Health and Retardation) for digging this info up
for me.  For the most part I have copied the material verbatim, however
if you want something closer to the original you can send a SASE to:

    Kee Hinckley
    CHE 02 RD
    Apollo Computer
    330 Billerica Rd.
    Chelmsford, MA 01824

    (617) 256-6600
    ...decvax!wanginst!apollo!nazgul
    
Make sure you include postage enough for about 20 pages of photocopy paper.

I apologize for any typos, particularly on the addresses, although I must
say the original didn't do to well either, at least one organization was
given two different zip codes for the same address.


Just as an aside.  My belief concerning the concern over FRP and suicide
is that it is one more example of a growing movement by families to place
the blame for bad upbringing on external factors.  It is a "My child is a
delinquent/suicide/dullard - it can't be my fault" syndrome.  You see this
in the move to put religion back in schools, you see it in the move to
"rate" records, and in the drive to blame suicides on FRP games.  In most
cases the thing these people are trying to get rid of is at most a symptom
of the problem, not a cause.  People play FRP games to escape reality, that's
a perfectly healthy thing to do if you are a healthy person and do it in
moderation.  But suicides are trying to escape reality too, and they will
probably find out that FRP isn't going to save them, and may in fact exacerbate
their problems.  I'm sorry, but a parent who doesn't know what his/her child
is doing after school, who doesn't know what music the child is playing...
is a parent who isn't paying any attention to his/her kids.  Attempting to
make someone else watch over your own kids is simply saying that you to;
don't want to face reality -- is it any wonder that your children don't?


Enough of the opinion, here is some data:


*********************************************************************

..................................
Maine Sunday Telegram  11-3-85      By Jamie Talan - Newsday
..................................

"Family approach seems to reduce teen suicide"

    Los Angeles -- A group of Houston psychologist say that they have
developed a therapy intervention system that has the potential for
reducing the number of adolescent suicides.

    Researchers at the Houston Child Medical Center say that in a
two-year study of 200 teen-agers treated with their family crises
intervention therapy, less than 5 percent have re-attempted suicde,
compared with average two-year figures varying from 10 percent
to 15 percent.  No one in the program has died.

    Steven E. Gutstein, director of the medical center's family
crisis program, and Linda L. Rayha, research director, said that their
approach, an alternative to hospitalization, reflects teir belief that
the family role in response to teen-age suicide attempts is crucial.

    Immediately following such an attempt, they bring together as many
as 30 family members, friends and such community members as the family 
doctor or clergyman for intensive therapy with the teen-ager.

    During the two to three sessions, which last four hours each, a
team of health professionals elicits the family's history and seeks to
uncover and resolve underlying family problems.  Toward the end they
create a ritual -- such as joining together in a circle to sing -- that
symbolizes the new, more positive feelings that have come from the
sessions.

    Banding together during the crisis, the psychologists believe, sets
up a supportive environment for the family to deal with the problems that
led to the suicide attempt and lets the family "break down the emotional
walls" so they can function as a healthy unit.

    Results of the program's first two years have been encouraging,
according to Rayha.  More than 70 percent of the 200 families seen by 
the crisis team reported significant reductions in the severity of the
underlying problems.

    Each year approximately 400,000 teen-agers try unsucessfully to end
their lives; 6000 succeed.  Traditionally, those who attempt suicide are 
immeidately admitted to hospitals for evaluation.  Depending on the 
problem, they can remain in the hospital for weeks to months.

    According to Dr. Madelyn Gould, assistant professor in child
psychiatry and epidemiology at Columbia University College of Physicians
and Surgeons in New York, the rates for teen-agers re-attempting suicide,
on average, vary from 10 to 15 percent during the first two years, when
most re-attempts occur.


..............................................
The following is excerpted from:


                    "Suicide in Adolescents"

Neil Senior, M.D.                           Kevin Leehey, M.D.
Director of Clinical Services               Medical Director
Adolescent Division Director                Adolescent Inpatient Unit
Brattleboro Retreat                         Brattleboro Retreat
75 Linden Street                            75 Linden Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301                       Brattleboro, VT 05301


I have typed in just about everything except the entire chart on causes
of death and the bibliography.
................................................

Suicide as a leading cause of death by age group, United States, 1980

Age     Rank    Number  Next most com.  Number  Most common Number  Total
---     ----    ------  --------------  ------  ----------- ------  -----
1-14    10      00,142  meningococcal   0,144   accidents   008,537 018,876
                        infection    

15-24   03      05,239  homicide        6,647   accidents   026,206 049,027

25-34   03      05,920  homicide        7,267   accidents   017,161 050,240

35-44   04      03,935  accidents       9,561   malignant   012,470 058,418
                                                neoplasms  

45-54   06      03,623  cerebrovascular 5,750   heart       041,078 133,157
                        diseases                diseases

55-64   09      03,456  pneumonia and   4,044   heart       107,244 292,181
                        influenza               diseases

65+     14      04,537  stomach ulcers  4,612   heart       595,406 1,341,848
                                                diseases
-----   --      ------  --------------- ------  --------    ------- ---------
Total   10      26,852 atheroscelerosis 29,441  heart       760,132 1,943,747
                                                diseases


HIGH RISK GROUP
    white
    male
    upper teens
    alcohol/drugs
    losses
    past history involving suicidal ideation talk or behavior
    legal problems
    impulsive

RELATED ISSUES
    family history
    school/job problems
    depression (psychobiologic signs)
    family disruption
    romance break-up
    perceived failur
    suicide clusters
    pregnancy
    exposure to violence
    psychiatric/medical illness

INFORMATION FOR SURVIVORS
    Organizations:
        1.  American Association of Suicidology     (provides a referral network)
            2459 So. Ash
            Denver, Colorado 80202
            (303) 692-0985

        2.  Suicide Prevention Center, Inc.         (provides a directory of
            184 Salem Ave.                           survivors groups)
            Dayton, Ohio 45406 (or 54506?)

    Books:
        1.  Survivors of Suicide
                Cain, Albert C., Ed.
                Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, 1972

        2.  Surviving: A Novelization
                Faucher, Elizabeth
                Scholastic, New York 1985

        3.  After Suicide
                Hewett, J.H.
                Westminster, Philadelphia 1980

        4.  Left Alive:  After a Suicide Death in the Family
                Rosenfeld, L., and Prupas, M.
                Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, 1984.

        5.  My Son, My Son...A Guide to Healing After Suicide in the Family
                Bolton, I., and Mitchell, C.
                Bolton Press, Atlanta, Georgia 30338

    Films:
        Survivorship After Suicide
        Ray of Hope
        P.O. Box 2323
        Iowa City, Iowa 52244

SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES
    National Organizations:
        American Academy of Child Psychiatry
        3615 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.
        Washington D.C. 20016
        
        American Association of Suicidology
        2459 So. Ash
        Denver, Colorado    80222
        
        American Psychiatric Association
        1400 K Street
        Washigton D.C.  20015
        
        National Committe for Youth Suicide Prevention
        666 Fifth Avenue
        New York, New York  10103
        
        Suicide Research Unit
        NIMH
        Room 10C26
        5600 Fishers Lane
        Rockville, Maryland 20857

    School Based Programs:
        American Association of Suicidology
        2459 So. Ash
        Denver, Colorado    80222

        Fairfax County Public Schools
        Belle Willard administration Center
        10310 Layton Hall Drive
        Fairfax, VA 22030
        
        Suicide Prevention Center, Inc.
        184 Salem Ave.                 
        Dayton, Ohio 45406 (or 54506?)
        
        Good Samaritans
        500 Commonwealth Ave.
        Boston, MA 02215

RESOURCES FOR GENERAL SUICIDE INFORMATION
    American Assocication of Suicidology
    2459 So. Ash
    Denver, Colorado    80202
    Executive Director: Julie Perlman, M.S.W.
    (303) 692-0985
    
    Suicide Information and Education Centre
    Information Officer
    Suite 103, 723 14 St., N.S.
    Calgary, Alberta    T2N 2A4
    (403) 877-5604
    
    Teen Suicide Commision
    (Not yet established.  U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos [D-CA.] introduced
    legislation.)
    
    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
    Public Health Service
    Center for Disease Control
    Suicide Surveillance
    Atlanta, Georgia    30333
    (404) 329-3521
    
    Youth Suicide National Center (U.S.)
    Dr. Seymour Perlin
    George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
    1335 H N.W.
    Washington D.C. 20005


........................................................................
The following are some more excerpts from a variety of sources.
........................................................................

"Suicide and Depression in Children and Adolescents"
        Presentation by David Shaffer, M.D.
      Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics
       New York State Psychiatric Institute
    Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons
            722 West 168th Street
          New York New York, 10032
               (212) 960-2548


I.  HOW COMMON IS IT?
    Approximately 2000 youngsters under age 19 killed themselves in 1982.
    Suicide accounted for about 14% of all deaths among children aged 10-19.

II. WHO DOES IT AFFECT?
    A) General
        1)  Very few children under age 12 commit suicide, but suicide is
            increasingly common thereafter.

        2)  Boy:girl ratio is 5:1

        3)  Whites commit suicide approxmiately twice as often as blacks.

        4)  More common in rural areas.

        5)  Higher in western states and Alaska than south, north central or
            north east.

NOTE:  Research to answer the following questions is only starting to be
undertaken.  In many instances, the information is taken from the Columbia
University Study which is still incomplete, and subject to revision.
Comparative data on controls is not yet available.

    B) The Children's Families
        1)  Only about 40% were living with 2 biological parents at the time
            of their death

        2)  30% have parents who divorced
        
        3)  About 30% had a close family member who attempted or completed
            suicide.

    C) Other Mental Health Problems
        1)  One third had previously made a suicide attempt
        
        2)  Drugs alcohol and antisocial behavior
            i)  About half were known to use and abuse drugs and alcohol
            ii) About half had previously been in "trouble" with the law
                or at school.
            iii)Two thrids had either been in trouble or had used drugs or
                alcohol to excess

        3)  Depression and Other Psychiatric Problems
            i)  About 30% showed signs of depression during the 3 months
                before death
            ii) A significant number of the girls appear to have had an
                eating disorder, either anorexia nervosa or bulimia.

        4)  Biological Factors
            i)  Abnormal hormone levels are found in the nervous system of
                suicide victims.  This may reflect their aggressive tendencies.
            ii) Suicide runs in families but we do not yet know if this is
                because of example or genetics.

III.THE SUICIDAL ACT
    A)  Methods Used
        1)  Boys
            i)  65% Firearms
            ii) 20% Hanging
            iii)10% Overdose
            iv)  5% Other

        2)  Girls
            i)  58% Firearms
            ii) 20% Overdose
            iii) 5% Hanging

    B)  Precipitants
        1)  Getting into trouble, being afraid
        2)  Humiliation
        3)  Recent example
        4)  Birthdays and anniversaries

IV. IS SUICIDE OCCURING MORE FREQUENTLY?
    A)  Suicide is 3 times more common in white males over age 15 than it
        was 15 years ago

    B)  The increase in black males is smaller.
    
    C)  There has been only a very small increase in girls' suicide rates
        (by about one third or a 9 times smaller increase than among boys).

V.  CAN THE MEDIA INFLUENCE SUICIDE RATES
    It can probably influence them for both better and worse.
    Evidence suggesting that it can increase youth suicide rates includes

    A)  The occurence of suicide clusters
    
    B)  Documented examples of "copy-cat" deaths
    
    C)  Increased on suicide rates following newspaper stories on suicide

VI. PREVENTING YOUTH SUICIDE

    A)  Can we prevent it?
        We don't know yet.

    B)  WHERE WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO START?
        1)  Better management of suicide attempters, but:
            i)  We do not know which is the best treatment to use
            ii) We do not know how best to engage the adolescent.  Although
                most will be seen in hosipital after an attempt, fewer than
                25% of the adolescents will return for treatment

        2)  More attention to suicidal preoccupations in hig risk groups:
            i)  The children of parents who have made a suicide attempt
            ii) Young runaways
            iii)Young pregnant girls
            iv) Teenagers in trouble with law or at school

        3)  Incorporatin education about psychiatric symptoms and psychological
            treatments in health education programs for teen-agers

        4)  Providing information about available mental health treatment
            programs.

VII.TEN IMPORTANT RESEARCH QUESTIONS
    ...

VIII. HOW COMMON IS TEENAGE DEPRESSION?
    Best estimates are that about 1% of boys and 3-4% of teenage girls will
    become depressed in any one year.  If all teenagers who commit suicide
    are depressed, then: about 1:60 teenage boys and 1:1,000 teenage girls
    who become depressed will go on to commit suicide.

IX. WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF TEENAGE DEPRESSSION?
    ...

X.  WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF TEENAGE DEPRESSION?
    A)  Changes in mood and relationships
        ...
    B)  Changes in thinking
        ...
    C)  Changes in bodily function
        ...

XI. SPECIAL DIFFICULTIES FOR THE CLINICIAN
    ...

XII. TREATMENT
    Although widely used there is still no good evidence that the anti-
    depressants are more effective than simple supportive contact in most
    cases of teenage depression.   Both treatments seem to bring about an
    improvement in about two thirds of cases.


...........................
At this point there are a couple short articles.  The most interesting 
shows a link between birth trauma and later suicide attempts (ie.  if
you had a bad birth (you, not your mother) then you may be more likely
to commit suicide).  Then there is a commentary linking economic 
recession to adult suicides.



                                            Kee Hinckley
                                  ...decvax!wanginst!apollo!nazgul
--

        The Hydrogen Dog and the Cobalt Cat,
        side by side in the armory sat.
        Nobody thought of fusion or fission,
        everyone spoke of their peacetime mission.
        Till somebody came and opened the door
        and they they were in in a neutron fog;
        the Codrogen Cat and the Hybalt Dog.
        They mushroomed up with a terrible roar,
        and nobody, never, was there no more.
        
                            "The Space Childs Mother Goose"