A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in April found that suicides across the U.S. have risen since 1999. That trend seems to hold true for Mississippi, too.
The age-adjusted suicide rate for the U.S. rose to 12.93 people per 100,000 in 2014. In 1999, the rate was 10.48. The change represents a 23.3 percent increase, according to the CDC.
The raw number of suicide deaths increased from 29,199 in 1999 to 42,773 in 2014. The nation’s population rose from 279 million to 318 million in the same span.
In Mississippi, the age-adjusted rate increased 15 percent to 12.7 people per 100,000 in 2014, from 11 in 1999.
Total confirmed suicide deaths in the state rose to 381 in 2014, from 305 in 1999.
The state’s population rose form 2.82 million in 1999 to 2.99 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Mississippi’s suicide rate and total deaths have fluctuated through the years. Both peaked in 2012, with a rate of 13.5 and 402 total deaths.
Mississippi has the 40th-ranked state for suicide, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Wyoming has the nation’s highest suicide rate.
Patricia Thornton, a co-occurring disorders coordinator with Community Counseling Services, said she has concerns that Mississippi’s suicide rate might not account for all suicides. She said it can be hard to determine suicides sometimes, because there’s a stigma around committing suicide.
“Part of that, I fear, is even if we have an increase in documentation of suicide, we still don’t have an accurate number,” Thornton said. “That number is muted because there’s that stigma. If they have the idea to run their vehicle into a tree, it’s classified as a vehicle accident instead of a suicide.”
Local numbers
In Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties, confirmed suicide deaths have fluctuated broadly from 1999-2014.
Lowndes County has had the most suicide deaths across the span, with 112. Oktibbeha County has had 58, and Clay County had 41. Lowndes County peaked in 2004 with 13 suicide deaths, Oktibbeha County peaked in 2010 with nine, and Clay peaked in 2002 with seven, according to the Mississippi Department of Health.
Baptist Behavioral Health Services outpatient therapist Kimberly Rush said she’s seen an a steady increase in patients who are suicidal or have considered suicide in the past.
“It’s increased with the elderly population and it’s increased with the younger population as well,” Rush said. “We have a definite increase in adolescents of 17, 18, 19, 20, who are having higher rates of depression and thinking about suicide, whereas 10 years ago, that was very rare to have.”
Rush said Baptist Behavioral Health Services has a 30-bed unit, and at least 25 beds are occupied every day.
Thornton said CCS’ therapists have also seen an increase in suicide-related counseling needs.
“Our therapists would estimate somewhere between 15 to 20 percent of the caseload have had thoughts of suicide or attempted suicide in the past,” Thornton said. “That’s a significant amount.”
Know the signs
A variety of resources are available in the Golden Triangle for those who are contemplating suicide, including Contact Helpline, Baptist Memorial Behavioral Health Services and Community Counseling Services.
Contact Helpline Executive Director Katrina Sunivelle said the call line has provided service to the Golden Triangle and beyond for 41 years, and among other things, is a line people can who are struggling with suicidal thoughts can call.
Contact Helpline took 249 suicide-related calls in 2015.
Sunivelle said Contact Helpline is partnered with Baptist Behavioral and CCS and can refer people who call to the proper services.
“We’re trained listeners, not trained counselors,” she said. “If someone calls, we direct them to a resource that’s beneficial to them.”
Sunivelle said even if a suicidal person doesn’t call, it’s important for friends, family, coworkers and other acquaintances to know the signs that someone might be suicidal.
“If they’re giving away items that they treasure or if they’re drinking a lot,” she said. “If they’re talking about wanting to die, or sleeping too much or too little. They may be withdrawn, or display extreme mood swings. They may talk about being a burden to others or feeling trapped.”
Thornton said it’s important for concerned people to do what they can to maintain contact with a potentially suicidal person.
“What we know is that when people become more and more isolated and more and more cut off, the more likely they are to complete suicide,” Thornton said. “Even when the person your concerned with is not answering your calls — and that happens a lot with mental health — it’s important not to give up on them.”
Thornton also said the time of year affect suicidal tendencies. She said suicide-related calls to CCS’ crisis line jump to two-to-three per day during the winter holidays, compared to the two-to-three per week received during the warm parts of the year.
Rush said part of the difficulty in dealing with suicide and related mental illnesses like depression is that patients don’t always understand that they have to stay involved in the recovery process once they’ve been discharged from care.
“A lot of the times our society is definitely geared towards a quick fix,” Rush said. “People come in for therapy and they really are geared towards wanting a magic pill or a magic saying to fix all of their life situations, when that’s not going to happen.”
Thornton echoed Rush’s thoughts, and said it’s vital that suicide patients seek therapy after going to a hospital.
“I would say a large percentage of people go get that initial care and don’t get the treatment after,” Thornton said. “That perpetuates the rehospitalization over and over again. The whole point of having a community mental health system, which is what we are, is to keep people from ending back up in the hospital.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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