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Show the DCFS; over 75% of suicide completers who had a case file with the DCFS also had involvement with the Juvenile Justice system at a later date. Suicide prevention efforts in the DCFS system will cover less than half of those at risk, but allow for earlier intervention than the justice system. Medical Examiner data primarily confirm that Utah's youth suicide demographics are similar to the demographics found with U.S. suicides. While Utah's overall suicide rate is higher than the rest of the U.S., Utah's rate is consistent with the Rocky Mountain West. Like other states, 80% of Utah's suicide victims are male, firearms are the most common method used, and handguns are the most common type of firearm. There are obvious limitations with the current data, since they are preliminary and numbers are small. However, Phase I data collection was continued past the study period to include 100 Utah youth suicides. These data will be analyzed in the Fall of 1998. Phase II is close to completion with the cooperation of 40 consenting families, from the 60 suicides during our one-year study entry period. Phase II data will allow us to evaluate the full pattern of contacts in the six months before death, to include medical and mental health providers. Phase III is in progress, and involves hundreds of interviews with community contacts. Work to expand control data from DCFS and the Juvenile Justice System is proceeding, and soon control data from the school system will be available. Conclusions Suicide autopsy studies across the U.S. have made it clear that suicide occurs within the context of mental illness over 90% of the time, and is not simply the result of a single social stressor. Current suicide prevention programs have not been shown to be efficacious. Future programs need to focus efforts on high-risk youth. The Utah Youth Suicide Study was designed to help understand where youth at risk for suicide have contact within the community. The discovery that 65% of youth who suicide are involved in the juvenile justice system provides us a new avenue to address suicide prevention. In addition, the study is beginning to delineate new risk factors for completed suicide. Future goals of the study include understanding the full pattern of contacts, which community contacts recognize youth at risk for suicide, and what barriers keep these youth from receiving help. References Brent DA, Perper JA, Goldstein CE, Kolko DJ, Allan MJ, Allman CJ, & Zelenak JP (1988). Risk Factors for Adolescent Suicide: A Comparison of Adolescent Suicide Victims with Suicidal Inpatients. Archives of General Psychiatry, 45:581-588. Brent DA, Perper JA, Moritz G, Allman C, Friend A, Roth C, Schweers J, Balach L, & Baugher M (1993). Psychiatric Risk Factors for Adolescent Suicide: A Case Control Study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32:521-529. Canetto SS (1977). Meanings of Gender and Suicidal Behavior During Adolescence. Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 27:339-351. Centers for Disease Control (1997). Regional Variations in Suicide Rates-United States, 1990-1994. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 46:789-793. Gould MS, Fisher P, Parides M, Flory M, & Shaffer D (1996). Psychosocial Risk Factors of Child and Adolescent Completed Suicide. Archives of General Psychiatry, 53:1155-1161. Grossman DC (1992). Risk and Prevention of Youth Suicide. Pediatric Annals, 21:448-454. Hazel P, & King R (1996). Arguments for and against Teaching Suicide Prevention in Schools. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 30:633-642. Kachur SP, Potter LB, James SP, & Powell KE (1995). Suicide in the United States 1980-1992. Atlanta, Georgia: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Rohde P, Seeley JR, & Mace DE (1997). Correlates of Suicidal Behavior in a Juvenile Detention Population. Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 27:164-175. Shaffer D, Gould MS, Fisher P, Trautman P, Moreau D, Kleinman M, & Flory M (1996). Psychiatric Diagnosis in Child and Adolescent Suicide. Archives of General Psychiatry, 53:339-348. 16 |
