Groups partner to lower suicide rate

POCATELLO — The Idaho State University Institute of Rural Health is partnering with local organizations statewide to reduce the suicide rate in Idaho.

As of 2005, Idaho had the seventh-highest suicide rate in the nation: 15.7 per 100,000 population, compared to the U.S. average of 10.7. The state with the highest suicide rate, nearly double the national average, is Montana, according to the American Association of Suicidology.

District 1 in Idaho, which includes the northern five counties, ranks fourth highest out of seven districts for suicides from 2002-2004, with a rate of 17 suicides per 100,000 population, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The highest county rate, 32.6, was in Boundary County.

Factors thought to be involved in Idaho's suicide rate include isolation, since many people live in remote areas and don't have easy access to other people and services, access to lethal means such as firearms, which are  used in the majority of suicides in Idaho, and stigma concerning help-seeking, according to an Idaho State University press release.

"A recent report demonstrates that about 46 percent of Americans will have some type of mental disorder during their lifetimes," Ann Kirkwood, director of the Youth Suicide Prevention Project at ISU's Institute of Rural Health, said in the release. "Most of them will experience symptoms before the age of 14. If we can treat these children early, we can avoid long-term consequences in adolescence and adulthood, including suicide."

Catherine Perusse, Sandpoint, works with the Suicide Prevention and Action Network of Idaho, distributing posters and brochures about suicide to libraries, police stations and funeral homes among other places.

SPAN is one of the grassroots organizations the institute is partnering with to provide information and help to people coping with depression or suicidal issues.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Idaho residents aged 15-24, with a total of 30 suicides occurring in 2006. The first-leading cause is accidents, with 99 non-intentional deaths reported in 2006. Studies also show that ambivalence exists even until the moment of death.

"People don't commit suicide because they're so darn happy," Perusse said. "They do it because they're hopeless. But things are rarely totally hopeless and they just need a fresh pair of eyes to look at it."

Perusse said the resources provided to her through the institute have been impressive and allowed her to operate on a larger scale than before.

The Idaho Youth Suicide Prevention Project partners with other organizations to provide statewide training, including a fall video series on suicide at Kootenai Medical Center, distribute educational materials and support suicide prevention campaigns through organizations like SPAN.

"Our main goal is to partner with other organizations to prevent suicides," said Chandra Story, grant project coordinator at ISU's Institute of Rural Health.

The Idaho Youth Suicide Prevention Project is funded by the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The goal of the Idaho Youth Suicide Prevention Project is to reduce suicide attempts and completions for youth ages 10-24.