False suicide stats spread on social media

Coeur d’Alene — Inaccurate claims about the number of suicides in Kootenai County spread via social media this weekend, according to the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management.

Referencing the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office as the source, multiple social media posts claimed that there have been either 73 suicides or attempted suicides in Kootenai County in the last six weeks. The Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management reported today that information is misleading and incorrect.

There were 73 dispatched calls for service relating to self-harm between March 1 and April 16. However, police said, these calls don’t necessarily imply an active suicide threat. They can include a concerned citizen calling on behalf of another, possible protective custody requests and others seeking resources relating to mental health concerns involving themselves or others.

Of the 73 calls for service, 33 percent were taken into protective custody. The other 67 percent of calls were cleared with no action needed or individuals were given referrals for resources to assist them.

Two of the calls involved deputies responding to a confirmed suicide.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office received 73 calls for service during the same time period in 2019. Of those cases, 38 percent were taken into protective custody, while the remaining 62 percent either required no further action or the individuals were given referrals for resources.

Of those calls in 2019, three involved deputies responding to a confirmed suicide.

During the same time period in 2018, there were 71 calls for service relating to self-harm. Of those calls, 65 percent had to be taken into custody for a protective hold.

In 2018, eight of the calls during that period involved confirmed suicides.

Statistics show that calls for services have plateaued, except in regard to confirmed suicides, which have decreased since 2018.

Police said that call volume has decreased for crimes involving harm, specifically domestic violence. There were 148 domestic violence calls during the same time period in 2018, compared to 131 domestic violence calls in 2019 and 107 in 2020.

Resources:

• Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline at 208-398-4357, which is available 24 hours a day.

• Veteran’s Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 then Press 1. Also you can text a message to 838255 or chat online at https://activeheroes.org

• Northern Idaho Crisis Center 208-947-5595 or the Text the word START to 741741

• Idaho Crisis Hotline 1-888-330-3010, the number is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m to 6 p.m.