Utah among top states in U.S. for increased suicide rates
Jun 8, 2018, 5:22 PM | Updated: Jun 9, 2018, 12:12 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – New numbers on suicide released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a dramatic rise in rates across the country, and here in Utah.
In response to that public health crisis in 2017, Utah state legislators decided to do more to look for answers, and find out why so many people have taken their own lives.
Why should you be concerned about the increase in suicide rates?
“It’s an all-hands-on-deck sort of problem,” said Michael Staley, a relatively new employee at the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office.
Staley was looking for an answer for why so many Utahns were taking their own lives. His job was created in the 2017 legislative session. He started work ten months ago.
As Utah’s first suicide prevention research coordinator, he has performed psychological autopsies on Utahns who die by suicide.
“[Asking,] ‘Are you going to kill yourself? Do you have plans to harm yourself?’ That’s not planting a seed. People who are suicidal and thinking about ending their lives are already thinking that thought.”
“Really comprehensive and in-depth interviews that we conduct with families, friends, [and] people who know that person who died, very well,” he said.
He has tried to get a better picture of the person who died by suicide, and the circumstances they were in. After gathering that information, he looks for trends among the different autopsies.
“We can learn from their experiences,” Staley said. “We can learn when the suicidal thoughts started.”
Strategies for Suicide Prevention
In the future, they planned to use the information to tailor prevention strategies. It’s a job unique to Utah, he said.
“This is really a bold step forward for Utah,” he said.
According to the CDC numbers, national suicide rates rose more than 30 percent in half of the 50 states from 1999 to 2016. In Utah, the suicide rate rose 46.5 percent during the same time frame. Utah has the fourth highest suicide rate in the nation.
As disturbing as those facts are, Staley was not surprised.
“No one thing is the thing that caused somebody to die by suicide,” he said. “At the same time, suicide is nobody’s fault, and it’s everybody’s problem.”
Staley said we all need to reach out to the people in our lives and ask critical questions.
“Are you going to kill yourself? Do you have plans to harm yourself? That’s not planting a seed,” he said. “People who are suicidal and thinking about ending their lives are already thinking that thought.”
Asking the questions, he said, gives that person an opportunity to ask for help.
You matter. You’re important. You’re loved.
Middle-aged white men between 35 and 55 have been at the highest risk to die by suicide nationally and in Utah.
“Men have to be willing to ask for help,” said Staley. “From a developmental standpoint, we have to be sure that men know that it’s OK to ask for help.”
While Staley spends much of his work day trying to answer why so many Utahns are taking their own lives, he said, that can get in the way of a more important, immediate question.
“Right now, in our state, and across the nation, we need to be asking, what can I do?” he said.
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Suicide prevention resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK. Crisis Hotlines
Online resources
Mobile Apps
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Warning signs & what to do if someone needs help Warning signs of suicide
The more of these signs a person shows, the greater the risk. Warning signs are associated with suicide but may not be what causes a suicide. Information from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. What to do if you see warning signs of suicide
Information from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. |
