5/7/2007
Youth Suicide in Indiana
While homicide makes the headlines, another killer lurks virtually undetected. Fortunately, one Indiana community has developed a solution for others to follow.
Suicide among Hoosier teens has increased and now ranks ahead of murder as a cause of death for Indiana teenagers. In fact, teen suicides have outnumbered homicides in three of the last four years.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 99 Indiana youth between the ages of 10-24 committed suicide in 2004, and all 92 Indiana counties have suffered at least one youth suicide in the last 10 years.
In addition, the most recent Indiana Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that one in six Hoosier teens seriously contemplated suicide in the past year; one in seven devised a suicide plan; one in 10 tried to carry out that plan; and one in 28 required medical attention following a suicide attempt.
These survey results reveal a disturbing trend. While national numbers are going down, Indiana’s at-risk behaviors related to youth suicide are going up and are higher than nationwide averages.
Girls are three times as likely as boys to attempt suicide, but the boys are four times as likely to succeed because they often choose more lethal means. Half of all teen suicides between 2001-2004 were committed with a firearm, while more than one-third resulted from suffocation.
When trying to explain why young people take their own lives, some research indicates a correlation between high risk behaviors – such as sexual activity and drug use – with higher suicide rates. Other studies cite increases in youth depression.
Risk factors for suicidal behavior can include feelings of hopelessness or isolation, having a parent with a mood disorder, substance abuse, history of physical or sexual abuse, school or work problems and chronic physical illness.
Other warning signs can include obvious statements such as, “I won’t be a problem for you much longer.” Talking about suicide, refusing help, not tolerating praise or reward, complaining about being a “bad” person and giving away favorite possessions also can foretell suicide.
If a teen in your family, classroom or youth agency is exhibiting these warning signs, stay with that individual and ask direct questions that can help that person express his or her feelings. Focus on the present, not the past or the future. Remain calm, and seek help from a doctor or a mental health professional.
Parents, teachers and youth workers cannot do this alone. Indeed, the entire community needs to be involved, and a community here in Indiana is showing the way.
During a 14-month stretch in the early 1990s, Jasper suffered five teen suicides. Tri-Cap, the community action agency for Dubois, Warrick and Pike counties, organized a task force to learn why. The surveys and focus groups included discussions with high school students, asking them who they talk with about their problems.
“The survey revealed that many students are more likely to go to their friends before they to go adults, including their parents,” said program manager Jane Chappell.
The community agency responded by launching Natural Helpers which recruits high school students to help classmates who are overly anxious or stressed. The Natural Helpers are trained how to listen and how to offer assistance. The most serious cases are referred to professional help.
The initiative also has cultivated Teen Wellness Centers in four high schools to provide mental health care and counseling. And school personnel have been trained to recognize the warning signs of suicide.
The services are promoted via posters displayed throughout Dubois County as well as on wallet-sized cards that are issued at local high schools. Funding is provided by a mix of state and federal grants along with private donations.
The programs have resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of local teen suicide.
“You need a community group that is willing to devote significant time to this issue,” Chappell explained. “It takes a long time and significant commitment to properly recruit and train volunteers and then to actively promote their services.”
The successful communitywide effort in Dubois County demonstrates yet again that light can indeed overcome the darkness.
Bill Stanczykiewicz is President & CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute. He can be reached at iyi@iyi.org.