SAFE HOMES | Prevent Suicide & Accidental Death Through Proper Storage of Firearms, Alcohol & Medications
What are lethal means and why is limiting access so important? Lethal means are implements, substances, weapons, or actions capable of causing death in a person with suicidal ideation (e.g., medications, firearms, sharp objects). Many suicides take place during a period of crisis, as most people who die by suicide in the US did not make a previous attempt. Among those who survive, 90% will NOT go on to die by suicide later in life. Reducing access to lethal means can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies.
According to the Suicide Prevention resource Center (SPRC) reducing access to lethal means of self-harm for a person at risk of suicide is an important part of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. Firearms are the most lethal among suicide methods. Also of concern are medications that are lethal at high doses.
Why Pledge? Most of us have good intentions, but our attention is often directed towards whatever demands are currently present. It is difficult to be mindful of certain actions that don’t seem like an immediate concern. SAFE HOMES is a prevention effort, and prevention is about taking steps to make sure that the worst-case scenario never takes place. Taking the SAFE HOMES’ pledge is the first step in making and maintaining a commitment to safely secure alcohol, prescription drugs and firearms to reduce the risk of suicide deaths as well as accidental deaths. The pledge helps remind those who take it the importance of not only securing these potentially harmful items and substances, but also the importance of maintaining your mental health and fostering an environment where household members can speak openly about their struggles and be heard without judgment.
The SAFE HOMES for Suicide Prevention initiative is currently in Grady, Thomas, & Colquitt County
National Suicide Data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control):
In the USA, suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54, and is the 10th leading cause of death overall, ranking significantly higher than homicide deaths.
Firearms are used in a little over half of all of the suicide deaths in the USA.
Not only is alcohol a depressant, but alcohol use lowers inhibition and affects good decision making. Approximately 22 percent of deaths by suicide involved alcohol intoxication, with a blood-alcohol content at or above the legal limit.
81% of intentional poisoning suicides were caused by drugs. The most commonly used drugs identified were psychoactive drugs, such as sedatives and antidepressants, followed by opiates and prescription pain medications.
Many suicides take place during a period of crisis, as most people who die by suicide in the US did not make a previous attempt. Among those who survive, 90% will NOT go on to die by suicide later in life. Reducing access to lethal means can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies.
Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)
Suicide Risk and Protective Factors
Suicide prevention seeks to reduce the factors that increase suicide risk while increasing the factors that protect people from suicide.
Risk Factors
Risk factors are characteristics of a person or his or her environment that increase the likelihood that he or she will die by suicide (i.e., suicide risk).
Major risk factors for suicide include:
Prior suicide attempt(s)
Misuse and abuse of alcohol or other drugs
Mental disorders, particularly depression and other mood disorders
Access to lethal means
Knowing someone who died by suicide, particularly a family member
Social isolation
Chronic disease and disability
Lack of access to behavioral health care
Risk factors can vary by age group, culture, sex, and other characteristics.
For example:
Stress resulting from prejudice and discrimination (family rejection, bullying, violence) is a known risk factor for suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth.
The historical trauma suffered by American Indians and Alaska Natives (resettlement, destruction of cultures and economies) contributes to the high suicide rate in this population.
For men in the middle years, stressors that challenge traditional male roles, such as unemployment and divorce, have been identified as important risk factors.
Protective Factors
Protective factors are personal or environmental characteristics that help protect people from suicide.
Major protective factors for suicide include:
Effective behavioral health care
Connectedness to individuals, family, community, and social institutions
Life skills (including problem solving skills and coping skills, ability to adapt to change)
Self-esteem and a sense of purpose or meaning in life
Cultural, religious, or personal beliefs that discourage suicide