Suicide Statistics
Suicidal thoughts, statements, or behaviors observed in our patient encounters are equivalent to chest pain in an acute myocardial infarction and should be treated with the same urgency. Considering that 45% of individuals who die by suicide make contact with a primary care provider in the month prior to their death, and nearly 20% make contact within 1 day of their death, at ODHC we are in a key position for having a positive impact on our patient’s lives. A great resource we have are the Behavioral Health Consultants, Sara Seward and Jeni Kolstad. If there are any concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out to them for a more thorough risk assessment and collaboration in identifying a plan of care. When someone is at a point in life where they are feeling helpless, worthless, and hopeless, opening a door to available options can provide the hope needed to push on to tomorrow.
Attached is a PDF document from Mental Health America regarding Suicide Statistics
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!