What are the efforts to reduce the number of suicides by 40% and the unknown “trends of suicide” that have been revealed in the process?
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In modern times, countries around the world are suffering from an increase in suicides. In the United States, the suicide rate has increased by 25% in recent years. The activity of Kimberly Lepp, who led the suicide prevention project, is attracting attention in Washington County, Oregon, USA, where the number of suicides was reduced by 40% from 2012 to 2018 against the increasing trend of suicides.
Suicide Data Reveal New Intervention Spots, Such as Motels and Animal Shelters-Scientific American
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/suicide-data-reveal-new-intervention-spots-such-as-motels-and-animal-shelters/
Various causes and complicated processes lie behind the background of human death choices. In 2012, Rep was commissioned by the Washington County authorities to investigate suicide. It was a microbiologist, not a coroner or psychiatrist involved in suicide. Rep, who was in charge of a non-specialty project, will begin analyzing statistical data on suicide published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Reading the statistical data shows that older white men have the highest suicide rates. However, Rep's thought, “Statistical data alone is not useful.”
So Rep decided to accompany the county inspector to learn about the causes of the deaths that actually occurred. Rep has been with us for more than a year and learned a lot about data that is not included in the statistics published by the government.
Based on the actual knowledge about the death case, Rep has “age”, “cause of death”, “there is evidence of alcohol abuse”, “has experience of violating people”, “health problems” Created a checklist that allows the coroner to fill in 'whether he was unemployed'. In addition, we began a program to investigate the cause of suicide in detail, and gathered information on the dead in the county. As a result of the investigation, it was found that the number of suicides occurring in accommodation facilities such as motels and hotels was very large, and that the person who committed suicide was evicted, seized or visited in a week of death It was. It was also found that people who are more likely to commit suicide regularly send their pets to an animal shelter.
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As for the survey, Rep says that the idea is based on “capturing with a face, not a point”. It is almost impossible to identify suicides individually, but if you are “prone to suicide,” you know. Washington County suicide prevention coordinator, Debra Darmata, received the results of Rep's survey, and the suicide prevention guidelines that had been provided only to teachers, counselors, pastors, etc. And began to teach 'how to identify suicides' to 'persons who are likely to meet suicides last'.
According to Darmata, more than 4000 people have been trained in suicide prevention in Washington County since 2014. In addition to this training, when leaving or foreclosure, which is likely to be a direct trigger such as suicide, the consultation desk and local psychiatric phone number will be shown on the written forms, and the patient's suicide will be sent to a medical institution. Added procedure to prevent.
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As a result, Washington County, Oregon has a population of 600,000 and a small population, but the number of suicides in the county has decreased by 40%. Rep says, “The data obtained in the county may not apply to other regions as it is,” but the method itself is useful everywhere. Scientific American, who reported on Rep's efforts, says that other parts of the United States have learned from Rep ’s suicide prevention measures and are starting new projects.
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