LACOMBE, LA – Dr. Charles Preston recently completed an analysis of suicides from 2014, which showed an alarming suicide rate of 19.4 per 100,000 residents, with a total of 47 completed suicides. The national suicide rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is 12.3 per 100,000, and suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
"The suicide rate in St. Tammany Parish has been and remains remarkably high," Preston said. "We're always looking for ways to attack this epidemic, and arming ourselves with related data is another step in planning strategies to address the situation."
Preston personally reviewed each case file from 2014's suicide cases, and began to cross-tabulate coincidental factors.
"An initial retrospective review was performed of these cases to derive a set of data points that would be included for analysis," Preston wrote in his summary, which has not yet been distributed to other local agencies but will be this week. "These data points are: date of death, age, race, gender, cause of death, city of occurrence, past psychiatric history or psychiatric complaint such as depression, documented current psychiatric treatment, a suicide note or text, prior verbalization of suicidal intent, a prior suicide attempt, judicial contact, a documented inciting event or ‘other’ circumstances. Toxicology screens were also reviewed for the presence of alcohol, opiates, antidepressants, benzodiazepines or illicit drugs."
Forty-five of the cases involved Caucasians, 33 were male, and the median age was 51. Methods included gunshot wound most commonly (62%), asphyxiation (hanging or suffocation) (28%), poisoning (8%) and exsanguination (2%).
Most of the cases (37) occurred in western St. Tammany Parish; of the others, eight were in Slidell and two in Lacombe. Thirty of the cases involved a person who had expressed mental health concerns or had a history of psychiatric treatment. Twenty-seven included an "inciting event," such as the loss of a job or relationship. Twenty-four involved alcohol use, and 14 involved illicit drugs. Nine had a history of attempting suicide. Only four were currently undergoing treatment, although 17 were taking antidepressants.
"That only four cases involved people undergoing mental health care but 17 were being treated for depression is a concern," Preston said. "It seems many primary care physicians are prescribing psychiatric drugs without patients receiving counseling or other support during treatment. That's not a criticism of PCPs, who may, in fact, be making counseling or psychiatric referrals and dealing with non-compliant patients. Rather, it underscores the need for awareness among patients: Medication alone will rarely address the condition."
Preston said the combination of inciting events and the use of firearms is also a concern.
"Public education about firearms safety, encouraging the use of trigger locks and gun safes may diminish some impulsive responses to interpersonal conflict,” Preston wrote. “We should encourage public awareness of the dangerous combination of alcohol and anger."
"Combating suicide is a complex problem that requires a concerted effort on many fronts," the report says. "We should encourage public awareness of the dangerous combination of alcohol and anger. Continued support of organizations such as the St. Tammany Outreach for the Prevention of Suicide (STOPS) to help educate citizens to identify and reach out to people at risk for suicide will likely have a positive impact. Experts have shown that people with suicidal thoughts and actions are ambivalent about dying and that a connection to life, the living and the future can be lifesaving. Public resources such as 211 or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273- TALK (8255) are readily available and can be as critical a lifesaving tool as a defibrillator is in the case of a heart attack. Most importantly, I think, we need to publicly continue the conversation about suicide and encourage early intervention for those considering this devastating decision."
Preston said he regards all suicides as preventable deaths.
"While my analysis of last year's data is far from comprehensive, my hope is that it will provide more than simply a collection of interesting data points," the doctor said. "We need to continue this public dialogue and do everything we can to curb suicide in St. Tammany Parish."