Suicides decline, but there's still work to do

During these dark winter months, there’s a glimmer of hope regarding suicide in Kootenai County.

The number of deaths caused by intentional self-harm declined dramatically in the county from 2015 to 2016, according to a report by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics.

There were 18 deaths by suicide recorded in Kootenai County in 2016. That’s 24 less than in the previous year, and the lowest number of deaths by self-harm recorded in the county in over a decade.

The suicide rate in Kootenai County for 2016, at 11.7 deaths per 100,000 residents, is lower than the national rate of 13.9.

That’s a marked difference from 2011, when the Coeur d’Alene School District, Kootenai Health and local mental health providers launched a long-term collaborative effort to combat suicide.

Around that time, Kootenai County’s suicide rate, at 21.7 deaths per 100,000 residents, was nearly double the national rate.

Since then, several initiatives have emerged that all work to raise awareness and educate people about suicide and have made it easier for anyone thinking about it to get help.

- School officials in Coeur d’Alene have provided suicide prevention training to thousands of staff members, students and others in the community.

- A state-based suicide prevention hotline (208-398-4357) was launched in 2012 and now offers support around the clock.

- With funding from the Idaho Legislature, the nonprofit Northern Idaho Crisis Center opened in Coeur d’Alene in December 2015.

- SPAN (the Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho), a nonprofit created in 2002, continues to advocate for zero suicides in the state. The group has chapters throughout the state with one located at the Panhandle Health District Office in Coeur d’Alene. For information, visit spanidaho.org.

- The Idaho Legislature created an Office of Suicide Prevention in 2016, allocating almost $1 million for efforts such as prevention programs in schools, a statewide awareness campaign and to fund the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline.

Despite the good news for 2016, there is still work to be done.

“During the first seven months of 2017, Kootenai County lost 22 people to suicide. I know this because as a member of North Idaho’s Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN), I receive monthly data from the County Coroner’s office,” wrote Lora Whalen, North Idaho SPAN chair, in a letter to The Press in September.

Suicide remains the second leading cause of death for Idahoans between the ages of 15 and 44. The leading cause of death for that age group in 2015 and 2016 was accidents/unintentional injuries.

Nearly one in 10 Idaho high school students reported in the spring of 2017 that they had attempted suicide one or more times in the previous 12 months, according to the Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted each year to monitor trends in risky behaviors among teens.

Although Idaho’s overall suicide rate bucked a national trend and declined slightly from 2015 to 2016, the state has the eighth highest suicide rate.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide:

- Call or text the IDAHO SUICIDE PREVENTION Hotline at 208-398-HELP, or

- Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).

- Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.

Source: The Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho