The State of Alaska’s suicide report, released on Tuesday, reveals that suicide deaths were consistent this year compared to the last two years, but suicide attempts and thoughts of suicide are up, and drug overdose death rates are higher in 2020 than they were in 2018 and 2019.
During Jan. 1 through Nov. 30, 2020, the Alaska “syndromic surveillance system” recorded 5,691 emergency department visits associated with suicide ideation (thoughts of suicide) and 1,437 visits associated with suicide attempts.
In comparison to the number of emergency department visits during January through November 2019, that is an increase of 3 percent for ideation and 12 percent for attempts of suicide.
The rates were higher in 2020 than in previous years during the second through fourth quarters.
Of the 5,691 suicide ideation emergency visits, 2,966 (52%) were among females. Of the 1,437 suicide attempt visits, 918 (64%) were among females.
The rates for both ideation and attempts were highest among persons aged 11–14 years, at 61.6 per 1,000 emergency visits for ideation and 55.7 per 1,000 emergency visits for attempts, and 15–24 years, at 77.4 and 18.3 per 1,000 emergency visits, respectively).
Rates for suicide ideation and attempts were highest in the Northern region.
The Careline (suicide crisis response line) had an overall increase of 22% during the third quarter of 2020, (from 5,480 in Q2 to 6,612 in Q3).
Comparing 2020 third quarter call volume to 2019 third quarter volume showed a 90% increase in calls from persons aged 25–44 years (2,245 calls and 1,178 calls, respectively) and a 51% increase in the number of new callers (2,273 calls and 1,507 calls, respectively).
The suicide report is at this link:
That’s some crazy high numbers. How is it that we have raised children so vulnerable to depression and mental illness? I hate to say it because the last two generations have become soft and complacent. Ending with the baby boomers, people are less able to cope with adversity. I guess when I was going to school, having to take polio vaccination, get underneath your desk and duck and cover to prepare for nuclear Holocaust, helped prepare us for hard times. Look at all the people complaining about staying home and having to put on a mask and can’t go out and get a burger or go shopping. I can’t handle it. I guess because they never were threatened by the Nazis or communists let them to think that they were living in Shangri-La. We haven’t done them or ourselves any service, only made them weaker.
Yes that’s what they teach at school. Everybody is a winner and go to your safe space.
I’m not sure what you’re talking about when you say they teach that at school. I don’t think teachers teach kids how to be snowflakes. One thing I did observe was a teacher teaching that convicted felon Malcolm X was some kind of a hero. That’s distorting history just a tad. But that was a wacko teacher who actually took off for Martin Luther King day. You people that are angry at schools are mad at the wrong persons. You need to be mad at parents for not supporting School or raising their kids appropriately. I’m talking about the lazy parents that don’t discipline their kids, don’t make them do homework and chastise the teachers when their kids don’t do well on standardized tests when they in fact have failed as parents.
So agree. But despite that, this is still heartbreaking as represents a lack of hope, and illustrates the importance of human connection. Lockdowns and isolation are not healthy. During the polio epidemic my mother experienced growing up, there were no lock downs or school closures and that disease was devastating, deadly, and permanently debilitating for many. Isolation may reduce ones risk of illness but obviously there are trade offs.
At some point GenX and their ilk will need to grow a pair and stop hanging off of mine.
That, or take a class in ebonics and vote a straight democrat ticket.
The democrat, especially the democrats, and rhino voters and non voters dont care as long as its no one they know. Democrat ideology thrive on crisis and making victims out of anyone including the people around them. Democrats such as Terrence and Dermot steering people away from Life.
Suicide is one consequence telling people they are born, they live inside a broken world, and they die into nothingness as they were a clump of cells at conception without telling them about Jesus Christ and We are so loved A great God sitting on the throne loved us so much He gave his one and only son to pay for our worlds sins and thoughts of harm, so we do not spend eternity in hell because of Christ spent three days there for us and rised because He loves us and we are meant to be free from bondage.
That all sounds fine and dandy Jen, but most of the world’s population is not free and lives in fear. Look at the Chinese and Russians and a lot of Africa and some countries in Central and South America. Look at the Left coast of our own country who willingly gives up their freedom in exchange for pittance.
The democrat, especially the democrats, and rhino voters and non voters dont care as long as its no one they know. Democrat ideology thrive on crisis and making victims out of anyone including the people around them. Democrats such as Terrence and Dermot steering people away from Life.
Suicide is one consequence telling people they are born, they live inside a broken world, and they die into nothingness like they tell people we were nothing but a clump of cells at conception without telling them about Jesus Christ and We are so loved A great God sitting on the throne loved us so much He gave his one and only son to pay for our worlds sins and thoughts of harm, so we do not spend eternity in hell because Christ spent three days there for us and rised because He loves us and we are meant to be free from the bondages that bondage us.
No offense Jen, but your perspective underscores another form of bondage. The absurdity of the concept is easy to see when you step back a bit and ponder the example of the scape goat.
I can’t be tied to a whipping post for you and a scape goat doesn’t actually do anything but take a beating as there’s no such thing as vicarious redemption; I can’t carry the burden of your sins and you can’t carry mine.
It’s ok to have beliefs but it’s also a good idea to bear in mind Bill Clinton’s comment from several years back when he said “whatever you believe, you might be wrong”.
If faith is a belief in a concept for which there is no evidence, and…
There are more than a thousand religions in the world, and…
You are an atheist for all but one of them…
The concept of a magical dead jew is pretty whacky and so are many of the stories in that same line of teaching. For example, if you ever pass a bush that’s on fire and it whispers to you that you should build a fire, strap your kid over top of it and roast him for the betterment of society it’d probably be a good idea to slip in for a little counseling.
The key to being happy and self reliant is different for everyone but the answer for most doesn’t involve adherence to the teachings of a 2000 year old and curiously imaginative novel.
I agree. But it goes back further than that into the old testament. There are so many books that weren’t allowed because the stories were too freaky for everyday people to grasp. Same thing with Mary Magdalene being closer to Jesus then the other disciples, even Paul refused to baptize her so she baptized herself. I think Paul had a little man syndrome or something against women I’m not sure which. And then there’s Peter the first pope. He turned on Jesus until Jesus talked to him on the road as he was leaving Rome and I don’t know guilty men to going back and getting crucified upside down. It all boils down to Faith. I don’t have much faith in the early priests and bishops that put together the books they thought were acceptable to be in the Bible. I want to hear the whole story and then make an educated decision on my own. I want to know that Lilith was the first woman and not Eve and they killed her off because she wanted to be on top during sex instead of being a submissive female. Now don’t run out and beat up your preacher for not telling you these things. He knows it but just like aliens probably figures most people can’t handle the truth. Let’s not even go into Enoch, descendant of Methuselah and Noah, yeah the ark guy who said in his writings that men were descendants of extraterrestrials. Best to just leave your life in a good way and you can be proud of and let the chips fall where they may.
Every politician that votes yes to extend any COVID related declaration of emergency owns this. They own this, the increase in overdose deaths, the students loss of a year of schooling. 15 days to slow the spread has turned into 10 months, and the spread is not slowing.
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Humans are social creatures. Social interaction is how an addict can control their disease, it is how a suicide is prevented, and it is how children develop into fully realized adults. In mid December, it was 10 months since the politicians told us we were no longer allowed to interact socially. And, for what?
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Numerous studies have demonstrated to a high degree of surety that lockdowns have no meaningful impact on the spread of this virus. Same with masks. Same with all of it.
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But, one constant has been the politicians implementing harsher and longer restrictions in order to protect the vulnerable. Yet, in their COVID tunnel vision, they neglect to realize they have created tens of thousands more vulnerable.
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The time to stop these charades is long overdue. Too many people are having their lives ruined based on little more than scary headlines.
Yeah 200,000 people dead in our nation is kind of a scary headline.
It is.
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Until you realize that almost 3,000,000 people in the US die every year.
And, you further realize that dying with the virus is very different than dying FROM the virus. When the person who had the virus at death also suffered from an average 2.6 life shortening co-morbidities, the fact they died is hardly surprising at all, is it?
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If you were to test every person after death for common STDs you would think it was ridiculous to assume they died from fooling around. It is just as ridiculous to assume COVID killed them solely because they tested positive for the virus at death.
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In 2009, if we implemented the same testing protocols during the H1N1 flu pandemic, the death toll from that virus would be just as astronomical as COVID-19.
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Yes, 200,000 deaths is certainly a scary headline. Worldwide some 1.72 Million people died with the virus. But a number without context is a curiosity, it is not significant in and by itself. It requires perspective. So… here you go:
If every single one of those 1.72M worldwide deaths were in the NYC metro area, you will still have a very hard time finding a place to park in Manhattan.
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No need to thank me, I am here to help.
Totally scary when the masses aren’t allowed to know the true causes of death…
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Scarier to realize American rulers are happy to do this to the American ruled…
My 18 year old son died a COVID casualty awaiting his test results, protecting and respecting the health of his family. Sadly, he made a foolish decision in isolation, it cost him his life. It cost us, our son’s life. Had he not been awaiting his test results and isolated from family and friends he would be alive today. All children, kindergarten through college age are suffering an immeasurable loss – the experience of academics, socialization, confidence, success and joy. . The physical and mental health and welfare of our youth and young adults needs to be front and center.. This should be our focus.
I’m immensely sorry for ur loss!!
Neither the quarterly variation nor the annual changes look statistically significant to me. My guess is that suicide among the young could largely disappear if the young had jobs, and I blame labor laws – so-called child labor laws – for the lack of young people working and learning job skills. I would also guess that suicide among the young is correlated with parental divorce. I wonder if there are other correlations?
Kubota2, perhaps one can look at the correlation coefficient going back to Roe? I mean, suicide is nothing if not a devaluation of human life. When the essence and Supreme importance of the gift of life has been devalued as a whole, might not their be repercussions throughout society?
Thankfully we have ceased executions of criminals for the most part in this country, might we not also extend this protection of life to others?
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