Examining Suicide and its Warning Signs and Determinants in a County of Illinois, 2014 to 2020: Implications for Future Research and Prevention

Aly Siglock,Huaibo Xin

doi:10.33790/jphip1100182

Abstract

This study is to examine the trend in suicide over the last 12 years in a county of IL; establish warning signs leading up to suicide; identify major risk factors of suicide among the decedents; as well as explore preventative measures for future suicide interventions. It’s a mixed-methods retrospective cross-sectional study. A total of 264 existing suicide case files between 2014 and 2020 were reviewed. Based on the current literature, the suicide data collection instrument was developed to include four sections: demographics, medical history, warning signs, and risks of suicide. A total of 96 variables were included to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. From 2014 to 2020, a total of 264 suicide deaths occurred in the county with the highest number in 2017 and lowest in 2010. Approximately 77.3% of the suicide deaths were males and 81.1% were non-veterans. About 31.4% of the cases left a suicide note; 22.1% had previously attempted suicide; and 49.2% had previous suicide ideation. About 39.4% of the deaths were caused by gunshot wounds, 39.4% were caused by suffocation, and 15.5% were caused by poisoning. More than half of the cases (58.3%) had a mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Nearly 45.5% of the cases were taking prescription medications. Roughly 41.7% of the cases indicated they were in a troubled relationship, 33.0% indicated they could be grieving the loss of parents, significant others, children, and siblings. Only 23.9% of the cases had received suicide prevention treatment, such as hospitalization or admittance to a mental health center, prior to their suicide death. Future endeavors should consider developing suicide prevention strategies/interventions within the domains of the Social Ecological Model, including building social capital, issuing temporary firearms restraining orders, and establishing community-based suicide prevention training/screening programs.

Highlights

The rate of serious consideration of suicide within the last 30 days has doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic from 4.3% to 10.7% compared to the rate collected in 2018 [1]
Of the total 48,344 suicide deaths in 2018 nationwide across all sexes, races, and ages, 50.54% of suicide deaths involved the use of a firearm, 28.63% of suicide deaths occurred by suffocation, 12.90% of suicide deaths occurred by poisoning, 2.38% of suicide deaths occurred by falling, 1.86% of suicide deaths occurred by cutting or piercing, and 1.39% of suicide deaths were due to another specification – 1.08% of suicide deaths occurred by drowning, 0.44% of suicide deaths occurred due to fire or burns, and 0.39% of suicide deaths occurred by use of transportation [7]
In the last 12 years, the accumulative suicide mortality rate was 18 per 10,000 residents living in the county of IL

Summary

Introduction

The rate of serious consideration of suicide within the last 30 days has doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic from 4.3% to 10.7% compared to the rate collected in 2018 [1]. 182 in the U.S across all races, sexes, and ages with a total of 48,344 suicide deaths in 2018 [2]. The age-adjusted suicide mortality rate in 2018 was 14.2 deaths by suicide per 100,000 deaths in the U.S [3]. The state of Illinois reported a similar age-adjusted suicide mortality rate of 11.3 deaths by suicide per 100,000 deaths in 2018 [4]. Within Illinois, counties, reported higher rates of suicide mortality than the state’s rate – an age-adjusted rate of 14.1 deaths by suicide per 100,000 deaths throughout the years of 2008 to 2017 [5]. Of the total 48,344 suicide deaths in 2018 nationwide across all sexes, races, and ages, 50.54% of suicide deaths involved the use of a firearm, 28.63% of suicide deaths occurred by suffocation, 12.90% of suicide deaths occurred by poisoning, 2.38% of suicide deaths occurred by falling, 1.86% of suicide deaths occurred by cutting or piercing, and 1.39% of suicide deaths were due to another specification – 1.08% of suicide deaths occurred by drowning, 0.44% of suicide deaths occurred due to fire or burns, and 0.39% of suicide deaths occurred by use of transportation [7]

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Conclusion