Florida’s Commitment to Suicide Prevention

James R. McDonoughFlorida Office of Drug Control

Uniformed and Armed Professions

Emile Durkheim

Importance of support from the top down

Ensure health of officers

Leadership Responsibilities

Admit the Need For Help

Introspection

Self Honesty

Individual Responsibilities

Air Force ApproachSuicide was 2nd leading cause of death in USAF between 1990-1994Developed and Instituted a suicide prevention programIdentified 3 themes among suicide victims

-Stigma

-Beliefs

-Cultural Norms

Identified Risk and Protective FactorsDeveloped 11 initiatives to their planRates decreased from 16.4 per 100,000 in 1997 to 2.2 per 100,000 in

1999

Public Awareness

Suicide is America’s 11th leading cause of death

30,000 American’s die each year by suicide

9th leading cause of death in Florida

In 2003, there were 2,294 suicides if Florida

Youth3rd leading cause of death for ages 10-242nd leading cause of death for American college students

AdultsHighest number of suicidesIn 2003, approximately 68% of all suicides were among ages 25-64

ElderlyComprise 12% of population and account for 18% of nation’s suicidesSuicide rate is six times the national average among this population

In 2002, twice as many Americans died by suicide than from HIV/AIDS

In 2003, there were 1,004 homicides which is under half of the suicide rate.

Law Enforcement officers may experience a suicide rate two to three times that of the general population

Substance abuse disorders are involved in nearly 60% of all suicides. Alcohol alone is a factor in 25-43%.

Law Enforcement officers are almost 4 times more likely to abuse alcohol and prescription drugs than the national average

Reducing Stigma of Suicide and Mental Illness

Negative attitudes and beliefs that lead the general public to fear, reject, avoid, and discriminate against people with mental illnesses.

54 Million Americans are affected by one or more mental disorder

•Approximately 23% of the workforce experiences a mental health problem annually

66% of workers who have mental illnesses have not sought treatment

Reducing Stigma

•It affects all of us

•It’s about fairness

•It’s preventable

Reducing Stigma

Reducing Stigma

Seek to Change Perceptions

Work to Eliminate Barriers

Promote good mental health among law enforcement

Education & Training

Gatekeeper Training

Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Management

ScreeningDepression

90% of suicide victims had one or more diagnosable

mental illness at the time of death

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PreventionImportance of getting wellness checkups

Maintaining good mental health before a crisis

Law Enforcement Wellness Association

Resources

Employee Assistance Programs

www.myflorida.com/drugcontrol

Law Enforcement Wellness Association

Central Florida Police Stress Unit Inc.

Crisis Intervention Training

Gatekeeper/ QPR Training