NOTES

Chapter One: What’s Suicide Got to Do with Me?

  1. the act of taking one’s own life: “Suicide Definition & Meaning.” (n.d.) Merriam-Webster. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suicide.

  2. “a sudden, widespread occurrence”: “Epidemics & Empires: An Optimistic Game about the Human Species.” (2021, June 24). UChicago.edu. https://voices.uchicago.edu/202102bpro25800/2021/06/04/epidemics-empires-an-optimistic-game-about-the-human-species/.

  3. Just since 2007 the suicide rate: Hedegaard, Holly, Sally C. Curtin, and Margaret Warner. (2018, June). “Suicide Rates in the United States Continue to Increase.” NCHS Data Brief No. 309. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db309.htm.

  4. And every day some 15 million: Richesson, Douglas, Iva Magas, Samantha Brown, et al. (2022). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. (HHS Publication No. PEP22-07-01-005, NSDUH Series H-57). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39443/2021NSDUHNNR122322/2021NSDUHNNR122322.htm.

Chapter Two: The Ballad of Greg Whitesell, Part One

  1. They were white, taller: Streep, Abe. (2021). Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana (New York: Celadon Books), 16.

  2. The closeness to family: The ASAM National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: 2020 Focused Update. (2020). SAMHSA. https://www.asam.org/Quality-Science/quality/2020-national-practice-guideline.

  3. After the cluster: Flathead City-County Health Department. Suicide Data Report 2018–2020. (2021). https://www.flatheadhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Flathead-County-2018-2020-Suicide-Data-Report-2.pdf.

  4. In 2014, after beloved: Fink, David S., Julian Santaella-Tenorio, and Katherine M. Keyes. (2018). “Increase in Suicides the Months after the Death of Robin Williams in the US.” PLOS ONE 13(2): e0191405. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191405.

  5. Many copied: Fink et al., “Increase in Suicides.”

  6. The deaths following Robin: Whitley, Rob. (2019, August 6). “Robin Williams’ Death and Subsequent Suicide Contagion.” Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-men/201908/robin-williams-death-and-subsequent-suicide-contagion.

  7. One of the best information: “Best Practices and Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide.” (n.d.). Reporting on Suicide. https://reportingonsuicide.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ROS-001-One-Pager-1.13.pdf.

  8. Some of these include: “The Lifeline and 988.” (n.d.). 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://988lifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988.

  9. According to a study published in the Journal: “Release of ‘13 Reasons Why’ Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates.” (2019, April 29). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2019/release-of-13-reasons-why-associated-with-increase-in-youth-suicide-rates.

  10. The National Indian Health: Rose Bear Don’t Walk. (n.d.). “Suicide Clusters in Montana Native American Youth: Policy Recommendations for Prevention and Services on the Flathead Indian Reservation.” National Indian Health Board (NIHB). https://www.nihb.org/docs/03092020/Rose%20BDW_Suicide%20Prevention_PAPER.pdf.

  11. During the 2009–10 school year: “Fort Belknap and Fort Peck Indian Reservation Suicide Crises.” (2020, April 1). Project Censored (blog). https://www.projectcensored.org/fort-belknap-and-fort-peck-indian-reservation-suicide-crises.

  12. In 2019, officials: Project Censored, “Fort Belknap.”

  13. Between 2009 and 2011: SAMHSA. (2014). Preventing and Responding to Suicide Clusters in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. Department of Health and Human Services Publication No. SMA16-4969. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma16-4969.pdf.

  14. From 2006 to 2012: ASPPH Member Research and Reports. (2016, December 15). “Johns Hopkins: Suicide Rates Drop among Members of White Mountain Apache Tribe.” Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. https://aspphbeta.org/johns-hopkins-suicide-rates-drop-among-members-of-white-mountain-apache-tribe-2.

  15. Between 1966 and 1988: Stack, Steven. (2000). “Media Impacts on Suicide: A Quantitative Review of 293 Findings.” Social Science Quarterly 81(4): 957–71. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42864031.

  16. Some consider owls: Clifford, Garth C. (2022, November 19). “Owl Symbolism & Meaning (+Totem, Spirit & Omens).” World Birds. https://worldbirds.com/owl-symbolism.

  17. However, it is important: Harkavy-Friedman, Jill. (2020, February 7). “Ask Dr. Jill: Does Mental Illness Play a Role in Suicide?” American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. https://afsp.org/story/ask-dr-jill-does-mental-illness-play-a-role-in-suicide.

  18. Those closest to the victim: Aten, Jamie D. (2020, June 16). “Grasping the Complicated Grief of a Suicide.” Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-resilience/202006/grasping-the-complicated-grief-suicide.

  19. Accompanying the torment: Tal Young, Ilanit, et al. (2012). “Suicide Bereavement and Complicated Grief.” Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience 14(2): 177–86. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2012.14.2/iyoung.

  20. And with this endurance: Tal Young et al., “Suicide Bereavement.”

  21. Their own death: Tal Young et al., “Suicide Bereavement.”

  22. People who were close: Tal Young et al., “Suicide Bereavement.”

  23. They’re also 1.6 times more likely: Tal Young et al., “Suicide Bereavement.”

  24. Experts claim that while: Spyker, Marisa. (2017, June 19). “In Giftedness, Is There More Darkness?” William & Mary News Archive. https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2017/in-giftedness,-is-there-more-darkness.php.

  25. The grieving community: Jouvenal, Justin, and T. Rees Shapiro. (2014, April 11). “After Six Woodson High Suicides, a Search for Solace and Answers.” The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/after-woodson-high-suicides-a-search-for-solace-and-answers/2014/04/11/8dd2a3b4-7f1d-11e5-b575-d8dcfedb4ea1_story.html.

  26. Their go-it-alone style: Fleith, Denise de Seuza. (n.d.). “Suicide among Gifted Adolescents: How to Prevent It.” The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Spring 2001. Accessed October 18, 2023. https://nrcgt.uconn.edu/newsletters/spring012.

  27. Based on journals: Fleith, “Suicide among Gifted.”

Chapter Three: Down on the Farm

  1. No one is immune, but: “Suicide Statistics.” (2019). American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Accessed May 19, 2023. https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics.

  2. The largest number: AFSP, “Suicide Statistics.”

  3. In rural areas: “Americans in Rural Areas More Likely to Die by Suicide.” (2017, October 5). CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p1005-rural-suicide-rates.html.

  4. America’s farmers are dying: Wedell, Katie, Lucille Sherman, and Sky Chadde. (2020, March 9). “Midwest Farmers Face a Crisis. Hundreds Are Dying by Suicide.” USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/03/09/climate-tariffs-debt-and-isolation-drive-some-farmers-suicide/4955865002.

  5. Farmers have been among: Snee, Tom. (2017, June 12). “Long After ’80s Farm Crisis, Farm Workers Still Take Own Lives at High Rate.” Iowa Now. https://now.uiowa.edu/news/2017/06/long-after-80s-farm-crisis-farm-workers-still-take-own-lives-high-rate.

  6. farmers killed themselves: Snee, “Long After ’80s.”

  7. Today, the suicide rate of farmers: Turner, Brock E. W. (2022, January 7). “Suicide Rates Are 6 Times Higher among Farmers and COVID Is Making It Even Worse.” Indiana Public Media, News. https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/new-program-aims-to-turn-tides-of-suicide-rates-among-farmers.php.

  8. “The farm has become the most stressful setting: Wedell, Katie, “Midwest Farmers Face a Crisis.”

  9. Farm debt has increased: Key, Nigel, Christopher Burns, and Greg Lyons. (2019, October). “Financial Conditions in the U.S. Agricultural Sector: Historical Comparisons.” USDA Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=95237.

  10. Profit margins are low: Semuels, Alana. (2019, November 27). “ ‘They’re Trying to Wipe Us Off the Map.’ Small American Farmers Are Nearing Extinction.” Time. https://time.com/5736789/small-american-farmers-debt-crisis-extinction.

  11. One big reason: Semuels, “ ‘They’re Trying to Wipe Us.’ ”

  12. Banks foreclosed on 12,000: Semuels, “ ‘They’re Trying to Wipe Us.’ ”

  13. In rural counties in America: “Is There a Shortage of Mental Health Professionals in America?” (2019). Good Therapy. Updated March 26, 2020. https://www.goodtherapy.org/for-professionals/personal-development/become-a-therapist/is-there-shortage-of-mental-health-professionals-in-america.

  14. That’s a fraction of those available: Buche, Jessica, Phillip M. Singer, Kyle Grazier, et al. (2016, August). “Primary Care and Behavioral Health Workforce Integration: Barriers and Best Practices.” Health Workforce Policy Brief. August 2016. Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center, University of Michigan. https://behavioralhealthworkforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/UM-FA2P3_Team-Based-Care-Policy-Brief_FINAL.pdf.

  15. Another factor is that rural: Buche et al., “Primary Care and Behavioral Health.”

  16. In the months following their: Chung, Daniel Thomas, Christopher James Ryan, Dusan Hadzi-Pavlovic, et al. (2017). “Suicide Rates after Discharge from Psychiatric Facilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” JAMA Psychiatry 74(7): 694–702. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.1044.

  17. Experts are unsure why: Chung et al., “Suicide Rates after Discharge.”

  18. To counter it, the Federal Reserve: Lawton, Kurt. (2016, August 22). “Taking a Look Back at the 1980s Farm Crisis and Its Impacts.” Farm Progress. https://www.farmprogress.com/marketing/taking-look-back-1980s-farm-crisis-and-its-impacts.

  19. More land was needed: Lawton, “Taking a Look Back.”

  20. Farm foreclosures soared: Lawton, “Taking a Look Back.”

Chapter Four: The Ballad of Greg Whitesell, Part Two

  1. From there they’d be transferred: Brockman, Courtney. (2015, May 20). “Reaching Out: A Conversation on Mental Health Evolves on the Flathead.” Native News Project 2017, University of Montana. https://nativenews.jour.umt.edu/2017/reaching-out-flathead.

  2. They are “protective factors”: Henson, Michele, Samantha Sabo, Aurora Trujillo, and Nicolette Teufel-Shone. (2017). “Identifying Protective Factors to Promote Health in American Indian and Alaska Native Adolescents: A Literature Review.” Journal of Primary Prevention 38 (1–2): 5–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-016-0455-2.

  3. They improve emotional health: Henson et al., “Identifying Protective Factors.”

  4. They have never seen: Tang, Samantha, Natalie M. Reily, Andrew F. Arena, et al. (2022, January). “People Who Die by Suicide without Receiving Mental Health Services: A Systematic Review.” Frontiers in Public Health 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.736948.

  5. This population passed on: Pember, Mary Annette. (2017, October 3). “Trauma May Be Woven into DNA of Native Americans.” Indian Country Today. Updated September 13, 2018. https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/trauma-may-be-woven-into-dna-of-native-americans.

  6. They consist of elevated risks: Sandoiu, Ana. (2022, July 11). “The Impact of Historical Trauma on American Indian Health Equity.” Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/the-impact-of-historical-trauma-on-american-indian-health-equity.

  7. Between 1819 and the 1970s: “Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative.” (n.d.). U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs. https://www.bia.gov/service/federal-indian-boarding-school-initiative.

  8. Their goal was to culturally assimilate: Bureau of Indian Affairs, “Federal Indian Boarding School.”

  9. At fifty-three schools and counting: Bureau of Indian Affairs, “Federal Indian Boarding School.”

Chapter Five: Fire in the Brain

  1. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter: “What Is a Psychological Autopsy?” (2013). Forensic Psychology Online. https://www.forensicpsychologyonline.com/what-is-a-psychological-autopsy.

  2. Serotonin is the Swiss Army knife: “Serotonin: What Is It, Function & Levels.” (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Last updated March 18, 2022. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22572-serotonin.

  3. The rest is made: Cleveland Clinic, “Serotonin.”

  4. Excessive serotonin activity: Cleveland Clinic, “Serotonin.”

  5. PET scans can measure: “Metabolism.” (2019). Nemours TeensHealth. https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/metabolism.html.

  6. Ketamine quickly reduces: “Ketamine Rapidly Improves Cognitive Function Making Those in Suicidal Crisis Less Likely to Harm Themselves.” (2021, November 2). Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/ketamine-rapidly-improves-cognitive-function-making-those-suicidal-crisis-less-likely-harm-themselves.

  7. But it has not been tested: Mann, J. John, Christina A. Michel, and Randy P. Auerbach. (2021). “Improving Suicide Prevention through Evidence-Based Strategies: A Systematic Review.” American Journal of Psychiatry 178 (7): 611–24. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20060864.

  8. These findings back up other research: “A Few Simple Questions Can Help Prevent Suicide.” (2022, August 2). Pew Charitable Trusts. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2022/08/02/a-few-simple-questions-can-help-prevent-suicide.

  9. It’s no coincidence: Siegel, Michael, and Emily F. Rothman. (2016). “Firearm Ownership and Suicide Rates among US Men and Women, 1981–2013.” American Journal of Public Health 106 (7): 1316–22. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303182.

  10. isolation and loneliness are major risk factors: Pew, “A Few Simple Questions.”

  11. The annual Twins Days Festival: Wheeler, Mark. (2004, November 1). “Twin Science.” Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/twin-science-98910961.

  12. Between 1812 and 2006: Wheeler, “Twin Science.”

  13. The majority found: Voracek, Martin, and Lisa Mariella Loibl. (2007). “Genetics of Suicide: A Systematic Review of Twin Studies.” Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift 119 (15–16): 463–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-007-0823-2.

  14. That means these twins: Casselman, Anne. (2008, April 3). “Identical Twins’ Genes Are Not Identical.” Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/identical-twins-genes-are-not-identical.

  15. Not only that: “Largest Genetic Study of Suicide Attempts Confirms Genetic Underpinnings That Are Not Driven by Underlying Psychiatric Disorders.” (2021, November 29). Mount Sinai Health System press release. https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2021/largest-genetic-study-of-suicide-attempts-confirms-genetic-underpinnings-that-are-not-driven-by-underlying-psychiatric-disorders.

Chapter Six: Fonda Bryant

  1. Fonda’s father was: Wikipedia contributors. (2023, May 30). “Johnnie Taylor.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnie_Taylor.

  2. They can become angry: Rivara, Frederick, and Suzanne Le Menestrel, eds. (2016). Preventing Bullying Through Science, Policy, and Practice. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/23482.

  3. They can also suffer: Rivara and Le Menestrel, Preventing Bullying.

  4. For reasons that are not yet clear: Rivara and Le Menestrel, Preventing Bullying.

  5. The natural daily production: Thau, Lauren, Jayashree Gandhi, and Sandeep Sharma. (2019, February 15). “Physiology, Cortisol.” StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538239.

  6. Cortisol elevates blood sugar: Thau et al., “Physiology, Cortisol.”

  7. This abnormality has been: Minkove, Judy F. (2015, December 14). “Combining Genes, Epigenetics and Stress Responses to Study Suicide and PTSD.” Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/combining-genes-epigenetics-and-stress-responses-to-study-suicide-and-ptsd.

  8. “That’s traumatizing”: Ryu, Jenna. (2023, February 17). “A 14-Year-Old’s Suicide, the Video That Was Posted and the Dangers of Sharing Graphic Content.” USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2023/02/16/adriana-kuch-nj-teen-bullying-video-sparks-outrage-concern/11255672002.

  9. Social media consumers experience: “Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Potential Problems and Solutions.” (2023, January 27). Better Help. https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/current-events/fear-of-missing-out-social-media-effects-and-solutions.

  10. Between 2000 and 2007: Curtin, Sally C. (2020). “State Suicide Rates among Adolescents and Young Adults Aged 10–24: United States, 2000–2018.” National Vital Statistics Reports 69 (11). https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/93667.

  11. By 2018, suicides: Curtin, “State Suicide Rates.”

  12. An economic crisis darkened: “Do You Feel Like a Financial Burden?” (n.d.). The Student Room. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5495018.

  13. In the past ten years: Dean, Brian. (2023, March 27). “Social Network Usage & Growth Statistics: How Many People Use Social Media in 2023?” Backlinko. https://backlinko.com/social-media-users.

  14. In 2018 an academic review: Memon, Aksha M., Shiva G. Sharma, Satyajit S. Mohite, and Shailesh Jain. (2018). “The Role of Online Social Networking on Deliberate Self-Harm and Suicidality in Adolescents: A Systematized Review of Literature.” Indian Journal of Psychiatry 60 (4): 384–92. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_414_17.

  15. In 2019 the American Academy of Pediatrics: Barbaro, Michael. (2022, August 30). “Inside the Adolescent Mental Health Crisis.” The Daily, produced by Michael Simon Johnson and Rikki Novetsky, podcast. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/podcasts/the-daily/teens-mental-health-crisis.html.

  16. That same year the United States: Barbaro, “Inside the Adolescent Mental Health Crisis.”

  17. A ten-year study of five hundred teens: Brigham Young University. (2021, February 9). “10-Year Study Shows Elevated Suicide Risk from Excess Social Media Time for Teen Girls.” Newswise. https://www.newswise.com/articles/10-year-study-shows-elevated-suicide-risk-from-excess-social-media-time-for-teen-girls.

  18. An independent survey of US teens: Burstein, Brett, Holly Agostino, and Brian Greenfield. (2019). “Suicidal Attempts and Ideation among Children and Adolescents in US Emergency Departments, 2007–2015. JAMA Pediatrics 173 (6), 598–600. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0464.

  19. Teens who spent more time: Twenge, Jean M., Thomas E. Joiner, Megan L. Rogers, and Gabrielle N. Martin. (2018). “Increases in Depressive Symptoms, Suicide-Related Outcomes, and Suicide Rates among U.S. Adolescents after 2010 and Links to Increased New Media Screen Time.” Clinical Psychological Science 6 (1): 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617723376.

  20. Self-harm generally consists of: Twenge et al., “Increases in Depressive Symptoms.”

  21. However, those who engage in: Mitchell, A. J., and M. Dennis. (2006). “Self Harm and Attempted Suicide in Adults: 10 Practical Questions and Answers for Emergency Department Staff.” Emergency Medicine Journal 23 (4): 251–55. https://doi.org/10.1136/emj.2005.027250.

  22. Online help-seeking: Memon et al., “Role of Online Social Networking.”

  23. In 2021, The Wall Street Journal: Wells, Georgia, Jeff Horwitz, and Deepa Seetharaman. (2021, September 14). “Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show.” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Ed.). https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739.

  24. They found that Instagram: Wells et al., “Facebook Knows.”

  25. Another internal report showed: Wells et al., “Facebook Knows.”

  26. According to their suit: Wayt, Theo. (2022, August 7). “ ‘Victims of Instagram’: Meta Faces Novel Legal Threat over Teen Suicides.” New York Post. https://nypost.com/2022/08/07/meta-faces-lawsuits-over-teen-suicides-and-self-harm.

  27. As Englyn interacted: Wayt, “ ‘Victims of Instagram.’ ”

  28. Her parents’ suit alleges: Wayt, “ ‘Victims of Instagram.’ ”

  29. psychic damage brought on by her compulsive use of social media: 60 Minutes Overtime. “Teen Watched Simulated Hanging Video on Instagram before Suicide.” (2022, December 11). CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/instagram-hanging-video-suicide-60-minutes-2022-12-11.

  30. Averaging all ages: “Mental and Behavioral Health: African Americans.” (n.d.). Office of Minority Health. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvlid=24.

  31. In the United States in 2019: OMH, “Mental and Behavioral Health.”

  32. However, in recent years: Xiao, Yunyu, Julie Cerel, and J. John Mann. (2021). “Temporal Trends in Suicidal Ideation and Attempts among US Adolescents by Sex and Race/Ethnicity, 1991–2019.” JAMA Network Open 4 (6): e2113513. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.13513.

  33. On average, suicide rates: Alessandrini, Kyra Aurelia. (2021, May 11). “Suicide among Black Girls Is a Mental Health Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight.” Time. https://time.com/6046773/black-teenage-girls-suicide.

  34. West Virginia University’s Ian Rockett: Novak, Sara. (2022, June 6). “Suicides among Black People May Be Vastly Undercounted.” Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/suicides-among-black-people-may-be-vastly-undercounted.

  35. According to his 2010 study: Novak, “Suicides among Black People.”

  36. Consequently, black people: Novak, “Suicides among Black People.”

  37. “This leads to suicide misclassification”: Novak, “Suicides among Black People.”

  38. That would make suicide: Dokoupil, Tony. (2013, May 23). “Why Suicide Has Become an Epidemic—and What We Can Do to Help.” Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/2013/05/22/why-suicide-has-become-epidemic-and-what-we-can-do-help-237434.html.

  39. In another recent study, Rockett: Rockett, Ian R.H., Michael D. Regier, Nestor D. Kapusta, Jeffrey H. Coben, et al. (2012). “Leading Causes of Unintentional and Intentional Injury Mortality: United States, 2000–2009.” American Journal of Public Health 102 (11): e84–92. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2012.300960.

  40. A rough definition of sexual addiction: Fong, Timothy W. (2006). “Understanding and Managing Compulsive Sexual Behaviors.” Psychiatry (Edgmont) 3 (11): 51– 58. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2945841/.

  41. Studies about compulsive sexual activities: Fong, “Understanding and Managing.”

  42. Sexual addiction begins: “Sex Addiction, Hypersexuality and Compulsive Sexual Behavior.” (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Updated April 5, 2022. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22690-sex-addiction-hypersexuality-and-compulsive-sexual-behavior.

  43. Some 88 percent of sexual addicts: Cleveland Clinic, “Sex Addiction, Hypersexuality.”

  44. In the United States, women attempt suicide: Tucker, Raymond P. (2020, May 22). “The Gender Paradox of Suicide: How Suicide Differs between Men, Women, and Transgender/Gender-Diverse Individuals.” CAMS-Care. https://cams-care.com/resources/educational-content/the-gender-paradox-of-suicide-how-suicide-differs-between-men-women-and-transgender-gender-diverse-individuals.

  45. About 60 percent of men use a gun: Tucker, “Gender Paradox of Suicide.”

  46. Around 62 percent of men die: Isometsä, Erkki T., and Jouko K. Lönnqvist. (1998). “Suicide Attempts Preceding Completed Suicide.” British Journal of Psychiatry 173 (6): 531–35. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.173.6.531.

  47. I thought this was hyperbole: Windsor, Liliane C., Alexis Jemal, and Edward J. Alessi. (2015). “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Meta-Analysis of Race and Substance Use Outcomes.” Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 21 (2): 300–313. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037929.

  48. Black people are killed by police: Jordan, Ayana, Aza Stephen Allsop, and Pamela Y. Collins. (2021). “Decriminalising Being Black with Mental Illness.” The Lancet: Psychiatry 8 (1): 8–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30519-8.

  49. A vast majority of the black people: “Every Fatal Police Shooting since 2015.” (2022, June 2). The Washington Post. Updated June 1, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database.

  50. Regarding black men: The Washington Post, “Every Fatal Police Shooting.

  51. A 2022 Washington Post investigation: Gerberg, Jon, and Alice Li. (2022, June 22). “When a Call to the Police for Help Turns Deadly.” The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2022/police-shootings-mental-health-calls/.

  52. According to a study by the national nonprofit: “People with Untreated Mental Illness 16 Times More Likely to Be Killed by Law Enforcement.” (n.d.). Treatment Advocacy Center. https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/key-issues/criminalization-of-mental-illness/2976-people-with-untreated-mental-illness-16-times-more-likely-to-be-killed-by-law-enforcement-.

  53. None of these callers expressed concerns: Treatment Advocacy Center, “People with Untreated Mental Illness.”

  54. “Until we reform the public policies”: Treatment Advocacy Center, “People with Untreated Mental Illness.”

  55. A recent survey by the Police Executive Research: Lowery, Wesley, Kimberly Kindy, Keith L. Alexander, Julie Tate, et al. (2015, June 30). “Distraught People, Deadly Results.” The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/06/30/distraught-people-deadly-results/?utm_term=.a263183cf8bc.

  56. But in recent years: Lowery, “Distraught People.”

  57. The 988 initiative: Chatterjee, Rhitu. (2022, July 16). “The New 988 Mental Health Hotline Is Live. Here’s What to Know.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316589/988-suicide-hotline-number.

  58. At the federal, state, and local levels: “988 Lifeline Performance Metrics.” (n.d.). SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988/performance-metrics.

  59. September calls increased: SAMHSA, “988 Lifeline Performance Metrics.”

  60. In some cases: Schimelpfening, Nancy. (2021, March 25). “How Involuntary Hospitalization for Depression Works.” verywell mind. Updated November 8, 2022. https://www.verywellmind.com/involuntary-hospitalization-for-depression-1067261#citation-1.

  61. Do they display unusual anger: “Risk Factors, Protective Factors, and Warning Signs.” (n.d.). American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://afsp.org/risk-factors-protective-factors-and-warning-signs.

  62. You may say something like: “Talk Away the Dark: How to Start (and Continue!) a Conversation about Mental Health.” (n.d.). American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://afsp.org/story/how-to-start-and-continue-a-conversation-about-mental-health-a-realconvo-guide-fr.

  63. Isolation or lack of connectedness: “How and Why the 5 Steps Can Help.” (n.d.). #BeThe1To. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.bethe1to.com/bethe1to-steps-evidence.

  64. Encourage them to think: #BeThe1To, “How and Why the 5 Steps.”

  65. For this reason, barriers on bridges: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (n.d.). “Bridges and Suicide.” Means Matter. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/bridges-and-suicide.

  66. If the individual does not have a counselor: “What to Do When Someone Is at Risk.” (2020, January 5). American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. https://afsp.org/what-to-do-when-someone-is-at-risk.

  67. Studies have shown that talking: “The Lifeline and 988.” (n.d.). 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://988lifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988.

  68. Though you’ll want to do: Falcone, Giulia, Adele Nardella, Dorian A. Lamis, Denise Erbuto, Paolo Girardi, and Maurizio Pompili. (2017). “Taking Care of Suicidal Patients with New Technologies and Reaching-out Means in the Post-Discharge Period.” World Journal of Psychiatry 7 (3): 163–76. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v7.i3.163.

  69. Many employers offer EAP: Wooll, Maggie. (2021, June 23). “What Is an EAP? A Guide to Employee Assistance Programs.” BetterUp. https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-is-an-eap.

  70. Fonda also got involved: “About Us.” (n.d.). Mental Health America. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://mhanational.org/about.

  71. NAMI is active: “Home.” (n.d.). National Alliance on Mental Illness. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.nami.org/Home.

Chapter Seven: The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide

  1. With a team of researchers: Heller, Dave. (2016, November 15). “FSU Professor: New Approach Needed to Improve Suicide Prediction.” Florida State University News. https://news.fsu.edu/news/health-medicine/2016/11/15/fsu-professor-new-approach-needed-to-improve-suicide-prediction.

  2. “That was a wake-up call”: Heller, “FSU Professor: New Approach.”

  3. Yet in 2008: Anderson, Scott. (2008, July 6). “The Urge to End It All.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/magazine/06suicide-t.html.

  4. And between 2007 and 2018: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, “Risk Factors.”

  5. and about 57 percent for young people: Brueck, Hilary, and Shayanne Gal. (2020, September 12). “Suicide Rates Are Climbing in Young People from Ages 10 to 24. Here’s How to Support the People You Love.” Insider. https://www.insider.com/cdc-suicide-rate-in-young-people-10-24-continues-climb-2020-9.

  6. Today you are much more likely: Florida State University. (2016, November 15). “FSU Professor: 50 Years of Research Fails to Improve Suicide Prediction.” Newswise. https://www.newswise.com/articles/fsu-professor-50-years-of-research-fails-to-improve-suicide-prediction.

  7. He achieved this status: Dokoupil, Tony. (2013, May 23). “Why Suicide Has Become an Epidemic—and What We Can Do to Help.” Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/2013/05/22/why-suicide-has-become-epidemic-and-what-we-can-do-help-237434.html.

  8. He recalibrated his academic focus: Dokoupil, “Why Suicide Has Become an Epidemic.”

  9. When he and a colleague: Allman, Rachel. (2021, January 5). “Profile: Thomas Joiner and the Study of Suicide.” Psychology Tools. https://www.psychologytools.com/articles/profile-thomas-joiner-and-the-study-of-suicide/.

  10. Academically, this was interesting: Allman, “Profile: Thomas Joiner.”

  11. And the patterns: Allman, “Profile: Thomas Joiner.”

  12. When none of this is true: Joiner, Thomas. 2007. Why People Die by Suicide (Cambridge: Harvard University Press), p. 98.

  13. These individuals may view: Joiner, Why People Die, pp. 100–101.

  14. Senicide is connected: Joiner, Why People Die, p. 102.

  15. Military history records: Joiner, Why People Die.

  16. Joiner’s theory holds: Joiner, Why People Die, p. 96.

  17. What’s more, those interactions: Joiner, Why People Die, p. 97.

  18. And about her childhood: Team Lehren. (2021, February 11). “Marilyn Monroe—I Often Felt Lonely and Wanted to Die.” Lehren. https://lehren.com/entertainment/hollywood/marilyn-monroe-i-often-felt-lonely-and-wanted-to-die/76531/.

  19. “I am lonely”: Severson, Kim. (2022, September 27). “The Last, Painful Days of Anthony Bourdain.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/27/dining/anthony-bourdain-biography.html.

  20. Generally speaking, being pregnant: Joiner, Why People Die, pp. 125–26.

  21. multiple births are more likely: Villines, Zawn. (2018, May 14). “Parents of Twins More Likely to Have Anxiety or Depression.” GoodTherapy (blog). https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parents-twins-more-likely-have-anxiety-or-depression-0514181.

  22. It helps explain why: Joiner, Thomas E., Danniel Hollar, and Kimberly Van Orden. (2006). “On Buckeyes, Gators, Super Bowl Sunday, and the Miracle on Ice: ‘Pulling together’ Is Associated with Lower Suicide Rates.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 25 (2): 179–95. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-04084-003.

  23. For 180 days after the 9/11: Ahmad, Farida B., and Robert N. Anderson. (2021). “The Leading Causes of Death in the US for 2020.” Journal of the American Medical Association 325 (18): 1829–30. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2778234.

  24. Dr. David Jobes, who created the: Jobes, David A., and Thomas E. Joiner. (2019). “Reflections on Suicidal Ideation.” Crisis 40 (4): 227–30. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000615.

  25. “They do this in various ways”: Joiner, Why People Die, pp. 20–21.

  26. But as we’ll see: Joiner, Why People Die, p. 75.

  27. Studies have shown that people: Joiner, Why People Die, p. 76.

  28. Even preschoolers who have displayed: Joiner, Why People Die, p. 76.

  29. Joiner reports that rock icon: Joiner, Why People Die, p. 81.

  30. He was reportedly afraid: Joiner, Why People Die, p. 81.

  31. The theory’s major achievement: Wikipedia contributors. (2022, August 19). “Interpersonal Theory of Suicide.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interpersonal_theory_of_suicide&oldid=1105359669.

  32. Interestingly, of all the links: Ma, Jennifer, Philip J. Batterham, Alison L. Calear, and Jin Han. (2016). “A Systematic Review of the Predictions of the Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior.” Clinical Psychology Review 46 (June): 34–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.04.008.

Chapter Eight: Stabilization and Suicide-Focused Intervention

  1. CCBHCs are required to provide: “What Is a CCBHC?” (2021). National Council for Mental Wellbeing. https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/What_is_a_CCBHC_UPDATED_8-5-20.pdf.

  2. Currently, there are 480 CCBHCs: DeVoursney, David. Phone conversation with the author. March 16, 2023.

  3. This has made it hard: DeVoursney conversation, March 2023.

  4. It’s called the Safety Planning Intervention: Stanley, Barbara, and Gregory K. Brown. (2012). Safety Planning Intervention: A Brief Intervention to Mitigate Suicide Risk. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice 19 (2), 256–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.01.001.

  5. A 2017 study concluded: Chung, Daniel Thomas, Christopher James Ryan, Dusan Hadzi-Pavlovic, et al. (2017). “Suicide Rates after Discharge from Psychiatric Facilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” JAMA Psychiatry 74 (7): 694–702. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.1044.

  6. A 2019 study showed that: “Emergency Department Study Reveals Patterns of Patients at Increased Risk for Suicide.” (2019, December 13). National Institute of Mental Health press release. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2019/emergency-department-study-reveals-patterns-of-patients-at-increased-risk-for-suicide.

  7. At a conference table in the department of psychiatry: The details of this case are taken from actual cases, but they are not true for Ron Joss, who is an actor. Ron Joss is not his real name. Due to privacy concerns, clinicians like Dr. Stanley often use actors instead of real patients when they are demonstrating protocols such as the safety plan. This category of actor is called Standardized Patient, or SP for short. They are in high demand in medical schools across the country.

  8. Some have a greater disposition: Broerman, Rebecca. (2018). “Diathesis-Stress Model.” In Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, pp. 1–3. Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_891-1.

  9. Advil and Tylenol are trade names: Cummings, Emily. (2017, March 15). “5 Common, Over-the-Counter Medicines That Could Kill You If You Take Too Much.” WGBA NBC 26 in Green Bay. https://www.nbc26.com/news/health/5-common-over-the-counter-medicines-that-could-kill-you-if-you-take-too-much.

  10. DBT is frequently the best: Wilhelm, Mark. (2019, October 15). “CBT vs. DBT: When Is Each Type of Therapy Most Effective?” Cummins Behavioral Health Systems. https://www.cumminsbhs.org/cbt-vs-dbt/.

  11. A quick method called the Crisis Response Plan: “About the Crisis Response Plan.” (n.d.). Crisis Response Planning for Suicide Prevention. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://crpforsuicide.com/about.

  12. About 47,000 of those individuals: Jobes, David A., and Thomas E. Joiner. (2019). “Reflections on Suicidal Ideation.” Crisis 40 (4): 227–30. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000615.

  13. Maggie was a student in her early twenties: The details of this case are taken from actual cases, but they are not true for Maggie, who is an actor. Maggie is not her real name. Due to privacy concerns, clinicians often use actors instead of actual patients when they are demonstrating protocols such as CAMS. This category of actor is called Standardized Patient, or SP for short.

  14. In a 2014 study: Crane, Catherine, Thorsten Barnhofer, Danielle S. Duggan, et al. (2014). “Comfort from Suicidal Cognition in Recurrently Depressed Patients.” Journal of Affective Disorders 155: 241–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.11.006.

Chapter Nine: Is the Future of Suicide Prevention Digital?

  1. Logistic regression is often used to: Lawton, George, Ed Burns, and Linda Rosencrance. (2022, January). “Logistic Regression.” TechTarget. https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/definition/logistic-regression.

  2. Until now, suicidal ideation: Kleiman, Evan M., Brianna J. Turner, Szymon Fedor, et al. (2018). “Digital Phenotyping of Suicidal Thoughts.” Depression and Anxiety 35 (7): 601–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22730.

  3. These assumptions came about: Kleiman et al., “Digital Phenotyping.”

  4. Participants who had more severe: Kleiman et al., “Digital Phenotyping.”

  5. Will therapists achieve the clinicians’ Holy Grail: Kleiman et al., “Digital Phenotyping.”

  6. Epic’s anonymized data included: “Predicting Suicide Risk with Machine Learning.” (2018, August 6). Epic. https://www.epic.com/epic/post/predicting-suicide-risk-machine-learning.

  7. “Predictions don’t replace a clinical assessment”: Epic, “Predicting Suicide Risk.”

  8. That’s no better than flipping a coin: Heller, “FSU Professor: New Approach.” Florida State University News. https://news.fsu.edu/news/health-medicine/2016/11/15/fsu-professor-new-approach-needed-to-improve-suicide-prediction.

  9. a note he wrote: “Veteran Suicide Stories.” (n.d.). Once a Soldier. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.onceasoldier.org/Veteran-suicide-stories.

  10. In contrast, during the same twenty-year period: DeSimone, Danielle. (2022, June 27). “Military Suicide Rates Are at an All-Time High; Here’s How We’re Trying to Help.” United Service Organizations. https://www.uso.org/stories/2664-military-suicide-rates-are-at-an-all-time-high-heres-how-were-trying-to-help.

  11. AWP claims as many as forty-four veterans: America’s Warrior Partnership. (n.d.). Operation Deep Dive. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive.

  12. The AWP report is contested: Lemle, Russell B. (2022, October 25). “VA Gets It Right on Suicide.” MDedge. https://www.mdedge.com/fedprac/article/258954/health-policy/va-gets-it-right-suicide.

  13. Ironically, medical improvements: Myers, Meghann. (2021, June 21). “Four Times as Many Troops and Vets Have Died by Suicide as in Combat, Study Finds.” Military Times. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/06/21/four-times-as-many-troops-and-vets-have-died-by-suicide-as-in-combat-study-finds.

  14. “The problem is that the data”: Werman, Marco, and Sarah Childress. (2012, December 20). “Military Suicide among Soldiers Who Haven’t Deployed.” The World. https://theworld.org/stories/2012-12-20/military-suicide-among-soldiers-who-havent-deployed.

  15. For instance, 53 percent of service members: Werman and Childress, “Military Suicide.”

  16. Because of the demand for personnel after 9/11: Cardona, Robert Andrew, and Elspeth Cameron Ritchie. (2007). “U.S. Military Enlisted Accession Mental Health Screening: History and Current Practice.” Military Medicine 172 (1): 31–35. https://doi.org/10.7205/milmed.172.1.31.

  17. interestingly, the same thing happened: Cardona and Ritchie, “U.S. Military Enlisted Accession.”

  18. The trauma caused by sexual assault: Shpancer, Noam. (2021, July 1). “Why Are US Soldiers Killing Themselves?” Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-therapy/202107/why-are-us-soldiers-killing-themselves.

  19. According to Department of Defense data: Moyer, Melinda Wenner. (2021, August 3). “ ‘A Poison in the System’: The Epidemic of Military Sexual Assault.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/magazine/military-sexual-assault.html.

  20. For 2021, the latest year on record: “Suicide Statistics.” (2022, February 17). American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics.

  21. Active-duty military suicides were almost: Garamone, Jim. (2022, October 20). “Active Duty Suicide Rate Drops; Austin Says More Work Needed.” U.S. Department of Defense, DoD News. https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3195429/active-duty-suicide-rate-drops-austin-says-more-work-needed.

  22. Veteran suicides were about: Miller, Matthew. (2021, September 8). “2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report Shows Decrease in Veteran Suicides.” VA News. https://news.va.gov/94358/2021-national-veteran-suicide-prevention-annual-report-shows-decrease-in-veteran-suicides.

  23. The likelihood that a suicide attempt: Shpancer, “Why are U.S. Soldiers.”

  24. Reach Vet (Recovery Engagement: Carey, Benedict. (2020, November 23). “Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide?” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/health/artificial-intelligence-veterans-suicide.html.

  25. “That is, they were forty times more likely”: Carey, “Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide?”

  26. “I decided, you know, okay”: Carey, “Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide?”

  27. A recent study of Reach Vet: US Government Accountability Office. (2022, September). “Veteran Suicide: VA Efforts to Identify Veterans at Risk through Analysis of Health Record Information.” GAO Report to Congressional Committees. https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-105165.pdf.

  28. Reach Vet decreased documented suicide attempts: McCarthy, John F., Samantha A. Cooper, Kallisse R. Dent, et al. (2021). “Evaluation of the Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health–Veterans Enhanced Treatment Suicide Risk Modeling Clinical Program in the Veterans Health Administration.” JAMA Network Open 4 (10): e2129900. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.29900.

  29. However, when compared: McCarthy et al., “Evaluation of Recovery Engagement.”

  30. Furthermore, the 0.1 percent: Carey, “Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide?”

Chapter Ten: Systems Approaches: The United States Air Force

  1. “In the spring of 1996”: Garamone, “Active Duty Suicide Rate Drops.”

  2. Fewer than a third of those: Garamone, “Active Duty Suicide Rate Drops.”

  3. the Air Force suicide rate was only a little more: Shane, Leo, III. (2022, September 17). “Veterans Suicide Rate May Be Double Federal Estimates, Study Suggests.” Military Times. https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2022/09/17/veterans-suicide-rate-may-be-double-federal-estimates-study-suggests.

  4. All were taught warning signs: Ramchand, Rajeev, Joie D. Acosta, Rachel M. Burns, et al. (2011). The War Within: Preventing Suicide in the U.S. Military. Santa Monica: Rand. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG953.html.

  5. Planners focused extra resources: Knox, Kerry L., Steven Pflanz, Gerald W. Talcott, et al. (2010). “The US Air Force Suicide Prevention Program: Implications for Public Health Policy.” American Journal of Public Health 100 (12): 2457–63. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.159871.

  6. There are about 800 active US Air Force bases: Vine, David. (2015). “Where in the World Is the U.S. Military?” Politico. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/us-military-bases-around-the-world-119321.

  7. with a total population of about 330,000: Wikipedia contributors. (2019, February 12). “United States Air Force.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force.

  8. Travis Air Force Base in California: Wikipedia contributors. (2023, June 6). “Travis Air Force Base.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Travis_Air_Force_Base&oldid=1158800624.

  9. For eleven years after launch: “A Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Prevention.” (n.d.). Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.sprc.org/effective-prevention/comprehensive-approach.

  10. Through 2008, with the exception of 2004: University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). (2010, May 19). “Air Force Prevention Program Reduces Suicide Rates Significantly.” URMC Newsroom. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/air-force-prevention-program-reduces-suicide-rates-significantly.

  11. In the program’s heyday: URMC, “Air Force Prevention Program.”

  12. The USAF’s strategy for preventing suicide: Knox et al., “The US Air Force Suicide Prevention Program.”

  13. While the Army’s suicide rate increased: Myers, Meghann. (2022, October 20). “Active Duty Suicides Dropped 15% in 2021, but Overall Trend Is Upward.” Military Times. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2022/10/20/active-duty-suicides-dropped-15-in-2021-but-overall-trend-is-upward.

  14. Studies have shown that Wingman Connect: Wyman, Peter A., Anthony R. Pisani, C. Hendricks Brown, et al. (2020). “Effect of the Wingman-Connect Upstream Suicide Prevention Program for Air Force Personnel in Training.” JAMA Network Open 3 (10): e2022532. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.22532.

  15. He said the Air Force seeks immediate: Burns, Robert. (2020, February 10). “Air Force Suicides Surged Last Year to Highest in 3 Decades.” ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/air-force-suicides-surged-last-year-to-highest-in-3-decades.

Chapter Eleven: Systems Approaches: Denmark

  1. Staff members also follow up: Miller, Greg. (2019, August 22). “Three Suicide Prevention Strategies Show Real Promise. How Can They Reach More People?” American Association for the Advancement of Science. https://www.science.org/content/article/three-suicide-prevention-strategies-show-real-promise-how-can-they-reach-more-people.

  2. However, in the program’s first nine years: Coffey, M. Justin, C. Edward Coffey, and Brian K. Ahmedani. (2015). “Suicide in a Health Maintenance Organization Population.” JAMA Psychiatry 72 (3): 294–96. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.2440.

  3. Henry Ford aims to provide: Miller, “Three Suicide Prevention Strategies.”

  4. “It just makes sense”: Miller, “Three Suicide Prevention Strategies.”

  5. But college and university students: Taub, Deborah J., and Jalonda Thompson. (2013). “College Student Suicide.” New Directions for Student Services 2013 (141): 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20036.

  6. The majority of students: Cerel, Julie, Mary Chandler Bolin, Melinda M. Moore. (2013). “Suicide Exposure, Awareness and Attitudes in College Students.” Advances in Mental Health 12 (1): 46–53. https://doi.org/10.5172/jamh.2013.12.1.46.

  7. About one-fifth: “Digest of Education Statistics, 2016: Table 204.75d.” (n.d.). National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_204.75d.asp.

  8. Women in college are two to three times: “Why Is Suicide So Common Among College Students?” (n.d.). Governors State University. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.govst.edu/suicide-prevention.

  9. For students of color: Laidler, John. (2020, October 28). “COVID’s Triple Whammy for Black Students.” The Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/10/covid-carries-triple-risks-for-college-students-of-color/#:~:text=College%20students%20of%20color%20not.

  10. and LGBTQIA+ students: Green, Amy E., Myeshia Price-Feeney, and Samuel H. Dorison. (2020). Implications of COVID-19 for LGBTQ Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. New York: The Trevor Project. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Implications-of-COVID-19-for-LGBTQ-Youth-Mental-Health-and-Suicide-Prevention.pdf.

  11. They learn the warning signs: MacPhee, John, Kamla Modi, Sara Gorman, Nance Roy, Erica Riba, Diana Cusumano, John Dunkle, et al. (2021). “A Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention for Colleges and Universities: Insights from the JED Campus Program.” NAM Perspectives, June. https://doi.org/10.31478/202106b.

  12. Professional services such as crisis management: MacPhee et al., “A Comprehensive Approach.”

  13. Campuses must fight the stigma: MacPhee et al., “A Comprehensive Approach.”

  14. Restricting the availability of poisons: MacPhee et al., “A Comprehensive Approach.”

  15. In 1980 it was 38 per 100,000: Nordentoft, Merete, and Annette Erlangsen. (2019). “Suicide—Turning the Tide.” Science 365 (6455): 725. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz1568.

  16. That’s more than a 30 percent: Nordentoft and Erlangsen, “Suicide—Turning the Tide.”

  17. In 2007 the US suicide rate: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). “Suicide,” n.d. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.

  18. Between 1999 and 2006: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html.

  19. A shortage of beds in psychiatric units: Leyenaar, JoAnna K., Seneca D. Freyleue, Amy Bordogna, et al. (2021). “Frequency and Duration of Boarding for Pediatric Mental Health Conditions at Acute Care Hospitals in the US.” Journal of the American Medical Association 326 (22): 2326–28. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.18377.

  20. Leyenaar estimates that between: Richtel, Matt. (2022, May 8). “Hundreds of Suicidal Teens Sleep in Emergency Rooms. Every Night.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/08/health/emergency-rooms-teen-mental-health.html.

  21. in the some four thousand US emergency departments: Leyenaar et al., “Frequency and Duration of Boarding.”

  22. While the United States, with a population: There are no hospitals or clinics in the United States that are specifically designated as suicide-specific facilities that I’m aware of. However, there are many hospitals and clinics that offer specialized treatment for individuals at risk of suicide or who have attempted suicide. It’s also worth noting that many general hospitals and clinics have protocols in place for managing patients who are at risk of suicide or who have attempted suicide. Are these equivalent to Denmark’s “crises clinics”? I don’t think so because in practice they do not attract practitioners who specialize in suicide but more typically employ practitioners familiar with suicide treatment. And as we’ve discussed, vital follow-up therapy is complicated and inconsistent.

  23. According to research led by: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (n.d.). “Research Review: Suicide Risk Falls Substantially after Talk Therapy.” Social Work Today. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.socialworktoday.com/news/rr_112514_05.shtml.

  24. Patient Thea Pedersen: The facts of Thea Pedersen’s case are taken from actual cases, and her name has been changed. She is a Standardized Patient. In real life she is an actress, and in demand at medical schools for her talent at portraying patients with psychological disorders.

  25. In the group receiving therapy: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “Suicide Risk Falls Substantially.”

  26. At the same time, the intervention: Wikipedia contributors. (2022, October 23). “Good Behavior Game.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Behavior_Game.

  27. Misbehaving, and earning points: Wikipedia, “Good Behavior Game.”

  28. Earlier studies with shorter: Kellam, Sheppard G., Amelia C. L. Mackenzie, C. Hendricks Brown, et al. (2011). “The Good Behavior Game and the Future of Prevention and Treatment.” Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 6 (1): 73–84. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3188824.

  29. Additionally, the Danish charitable group: Bioethics Observatory. (2019, November 26). “Suicide Continues to Be a Devastating Public Health Problem. After Decades of Prevention Programs, It Is Still Far from Being Controlled.” Bioethics Observatory, Institute of Life Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia. https://bioethicsobservatory.org/2019/11/suicide-public-health-problem/33246.

Chapter Twelve: Facing Suicide

  1. Add to that a high population: Castro, Joseph. (2013, March 29). “Where Is the Suicide Belt?” Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/34470-suicide-belt.html.

  2. While 80 percent of suicide deaths: “Preventing Suicide.” Includes information about at-risk populations. (n.d.). SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/suicide/at-risk.

  3. Adolescence is a time of important social: Ho, Tiffany C., Anthony J. Gifuni, and Ian H. Gotlib. (2022). “Psychobiological Risk Factors for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Adolescence: A Consideration of the Role of Puberty.” Molecular Psychiatry 27: 606-623. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01171-5.

  4. These emotions can lead: Ho et al., “Psychobiological Risk Factors.”

  5. According to the CDC: Curtin, Sally C. (2020). “State Suicide Rates among Adolescents and Young Adults Aged 10-24: United States, 2000–2018.” National Vital Statistics Reports 69 (11). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr69/NVSR-69-11-508.pdf.

  6. It is plausible that the early onset: Curtin, Sally C., and Melonie Heron. (2019, October). “Death Rates Due to Suicide and Homicide among Persons Ages 10–24: United States, 2000–2017.” NCHS Data Brief No. 352. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db352.htm.

  7. Almost 50 percent of Americans: Cutler, David. (2020, May–June). “The World’s Costliest Health Care.” Harvard Magazine. https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2020/05/feature-forum-costliest-health-care.

  8. These lobbies aggressively fight: Cutler, “World’s Costliest Health Care”; and Moreno, Sabrina. (2022, October 28). “Health Care Industry Spending on Federal Lobbying Surged 70% over 20 Years.” Axios. https://www.axios.com/2022/10/28/health-care-industry-spending-on-federal-lobbying-surged-70-over-20-years.

  9. This tells us that unvarnished: Cooper, Zack, Stuart V. Craig, Martin Gaynor, and John Van Reenen. (2019). “The Price Ain’t Right? Hospital Prices and Health Spending on the Privately Insured.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 134 (1): 51–107. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjy020.

  10. Survival rates for heart disease: Cutler, “World’s Costliest Health Care.”

  11. One recent study of young people: Melillo, Gianna. (2022, November 22). “Mental Health Care Provider Shortage Linked with Increased Youth Suicide Rates: Study.” The Hill. https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/mental-health/3746317-mental-health-care-provider-shortage-linked-with-increased-youth-suicide-rates-study/.

  12. About 20 percent of children in the US: Mann, Denise. (2022, November 23). “Mental Health Care Shortage Could Play Role in U.S. Youth Suicides.” U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-11-23/mental-health-care-shortage-could-play-role-in-u-s-youth-suicides.

  13. To lower the risk of suicide: “Facts about LGBTQ Youth Suicide.” (n.d.). The Trevor Project. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide.

  14. The suicide rate for persons seventy-five and older: “Disparities in Suicide.” (2021, October 14). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/disparities-in-suicide.html.

  15. That homemade video: “Jordan Lefler (@JordanLefler): Landscape Photographer Based in the US.” Nomadict. https://nomadict.org/jordan-lefler-jordanlefler-landscape-photographer-based-in-the-us.

  16. People trained in the methods of QPR: “QPR Institute: Practical and Proven Suicide Prevention Training.” (n.d.). QPR Institute. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://qprinstitute.com.