Violence Prevention Coalition of Orange County Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury Facts

1. Violence Prevention Coalition of Orange County Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury Facts Extent of the Problem • The fastest growing age group attempting suicide are children between the ages of 10 and 14. (Center for Disease Control, 2000) • Males are more likely to complete suicide while females are more likely to attempt. (Center for Disease Control, 2000) • In 2001, our nation lost a young life to suicide every 2 hours and 2.5 minutes. (Summary of National Stats by John McIntosh, 2002) • For every completion, between 100 and 200 unsuccessful attempts by a young person are made. (Summary of National Stats by John McIntosh, 2002) • The Centers for Disease Control estimates a suicide ideation rate, those who have seriously considered suicide, of more than 20% with 10th grade girls exhibiting over a 30% rate. (CDC Adolescent Heath Chart, 2000) • Of all the violent deaths associated with schools nationwide since 1992, 14 percent were suicides. (Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program of Los Angeles, 2002) • Elderly adults have rates of suicide of more than 50% higher than that of the nation as a whole. (American Association of Suicidology, 2004) • The highest suicide rates occur among the elderly, especially elderly white men. (Epidemiology of Suicidal Behavior, in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 1995; 25(1):22-35) Updated 6-04 Definition of Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury: The threatened or actual use of physical force or power against oneself which either results in, or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death or deprivation. Self-inflicted injury is sometimes referred to as attempted suicide. Underlying & Contributing Factors • Suicide is considered to be the second leading cause of death of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in the west, 3rd nationally. (Center for Disease Control, 2000) • Retrospective studies of suicide victims show that more than 90% of people who committed suicide had an addictive or mental disorder (for example, depression or manic-depressive illness). Very often these disorders were not recognized before the suicide. A large proportion have more than one of these disorders. (Epidemiology of Suicidal Behavior, in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 1995; 25(1):22-35) • In 2000, approximately 3 million youths were at risk for suicide during the year. Youths who reported past year alcohol use were twice as likely to attempt suicide. (SAMSHA, NHSDA report, 2002) • Firearms are currently the most often utilized method of suicide by all groups. (American Association of Suicidology, 2004)

2. Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury Facts California • In 2001, 3,256 total Californians lost their lives to suicide. (California Department of Health Services Vital Statistic Query, 2001) • Conservative estimates indicate that more than 1,973,136 Californians struggled to cope with the impact of suicide. (American Association of Suicidology, 2002) Orange County • In 2002 there were 241 suicides in Orange County. This is a rate of 8.47 per 100,000 population. • 110 of the 241 suicides (46%) used a firearm, the most common method employed. The next most common method was by hanging or suffocation--56 suicides (23%). • 181 (75%) of the 241 suicides were males and 60 (25%) were females. A greater proportion of male suicides used firearms--54%--than female suicides--20%. Firearms were the most common method of suicide among males. • The most common method of suicide for females was poisoning, with 23 suicides (38%). • The second most common method of suicide was hanging/suffocation for both males (21%) and females (30%). • The greatest number of suicide victims in Orange County in 2002 ranged between the ages of 21-44 years, with all suicides occurring among people ages 16 to 96 years. • 901 (64%) of the 1,399 people admitted to Orange County hospitals for self-inflicted injury were female. 78% of these admissions were for poisoning/overdose. 65% of the males admitted for self-inflicted injury suffered from poisoning/overdose. The second most common mechanism of self-inflicted injury leading to hospital admission for both sexes was cutting/piercing (23% for males, 18% for females). • Self-inflicted hospitalizations accounted for 5,461 hospital days in 2002. Data Sources: California Department of Health Services EPIC Branch and the US Census Bureau.