Suicide is a rare, but emotionally devastating, event. I am sometimes criticized for minimizing its impact. That is not my purpose. Completed suicides number slightly less than 43,000 in 2015. For every suicide, there are a reported 25 attempts. Ideation strikes many more. If we examine the rate of suicide in our country, I believe it can guide us to a greater state of understating about the emotional health of our population. I know determining the results are more difficult, but if our rate of suicide is increasing, then we know that the underlying causes are not being addressed successfully.
But getting the right data can be difficult. Reuters has run a series of articles on suicide based on Veterans Administration research. This first article [LINK HERE] indicates that Military Sexual Trauma (MST) increased suicide among male veterans experiencing MST by 70%, and among female veterans by 100%. The population affected were 1.1% of men and 21.2% of women in the sample studied. Data was taken from a study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. [LINK HERE]
Reuters followed with more articles on veteran suicide based on additional research. The most recent article pointed to a 32% increase between 2001 and 2014. [LINK HERE] Civilian suicides are reported to have increased by 23% in the same time period.
I caution readers that some interpretation of the statistics have been challenged in the past. This article noted that the 2012 statistics reported in 2013 were based on research conducted in less than half the states, and that the report containing the data should not be extrapolated to the whole population. [LINK HERE] The current data apparently correct that limitation.
What I see in the reporting is that the Veterans Administration is learning how to identify, if they can get access to the data, individuals who are higher at risk. Earlier, I wrote about a VA algorithm developed to identify Veterans who are at a higher risk of suicide. Although the algorithm is stated to be ineffective for the general population, it did seem to have application among those highest at risk for suicide.
My research on the general population reaches similar conclusions, but I am still looking for more complete data. According to the original ACE Study, the highest rates of suicide attempts were differentiated by number of ACE's reported: 7+ ACE's attempted at a rate of 35.2%; 6 ACE's at a rate of 21.8%; and 5 ACE's at rate of 13.8%. Using this data, plus information about behavior acquisition patterns, I believe we can identify the group highest at risk, just as the Veterans Administration has. Putting an identification process in place is an important step in suicide prevention.
I think about it this way. In Alaska, we have had 14 years of suicide prevention efforts. As with the U.S. as a whole, rates seem to be increasing. Is our current strategy working, from a data perspective. I know people get excited when programs are implemented, but they need to be objectively evaluated. Perhaps our programs are somewhat effective because they have stopped or slowed the increase in suicide. According to the national data I cite of a 23% civilian increase during the same time period Veteran suicide increased by 32%, existing programs have not been successful at reducing the rate.
Here is my point. Because suicide is such a rare event, and is preceded by occurrences and behaviors earlier in life, such as MST, that it could be our entry point for learning how to identify trauma victims and intervene early. While the Veteran's algorithm may not be successful for identifying at risk Veterans there, it might benefit from additional research that looks at other variables such as ACE related behaviors adopted earlier. Smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, promiscuity, health issues and many more negative behaviors and health outcomes should be examined for relevance in predicting suicide ideation, attempts and completions. If we can build upon identifying high risk individuals an algorithm based on high risk behaviors, perhaps we can identify other patterns that indicate future risk for suicide.
Comments (6)