'Suicide crisis' in state
Mental health advocates yesterday urged the creation of a statewide prevention and intervention plan to battle Colorado's "suicide crisis".
The statistics, released on the first national "Suicide Awareness Day", are sobering. For 20 years Colorado has been in the top 10 nationally for the number of suicides. It now ranks fifth. With 17.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 people, the state rate is 50 percent higher than the U.S. average.
The suicide rate is three times higher than the state homicide rate. Firearms account for 65 percent of suicides among those under 25.
At a state Capitol press conference, families and friends displayed handmade signs with the names, birth and death dates, and photos of loved ones who have committed suicide.
"Loving Memory, Feb. 24, 1967-Dec. 31, 1990, Kirk L. Johnson" read one sign. Another simply said, "Kent 1954-1978".
"I know your tears, your anguish," said LaRita Archibald, whose son ended his life in 1978. In 1980, she founded Heartbeat, a support-group network for those who lost a loved one to suicide. Archibald added, "We must raise the public consciousness of suicide as a public health problem."
Pocket-sized "Yellow Ribbon" cards, available at many high schools, let teens signal to counselors, teachers and clergy that they need help, said Darlene Emme of the Light for Light Foundation, which aims to cut youth suicides. Since the school year began, 12 Cherry Creek school district students used the cards to get aid "at a time when they could only scream a silent scream," she said.
There are three critical solutions, said Barbara Beiber, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Colorado. A coordinated statewide prevention and intervention plan must be implemented, a statewide toll-free hotline must be set up for people to get counseling and referrals, and a state agency, perhaps the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, must address suicide, such as by forming an intragency council, she said.
Many of the efforts should target those who are greatest at risk of committing suicide: youths and the elderly said psychologist, Bill Porter. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Colorado teens. "Suicide has become a solution for life struggles," said Porter. Area 24-hour hotlines include: