According to a recent article in The Atlantic, more than one million people each year die by suicide. Unfortunately, while there are certain recognized factors that can make it more likely someone will act on suicidal tendencies, our Dallas, TX suicide lawyers know that it can be difficult to predict with any accuracy when someone will try to take his or her own life.

Recently, however, researchers have been working to better understand what suicide risk factors are the best predictor of who will attempt to die by suicide. The findings of the study were published in the journal Psychological Medicine and reported on by The Atlantic.

Which Risk Factors Predict Suicide Deaths

To better understand how risk factors affect deaths from suicide, researchers at Land University in Sweden and at Stanford University in the United States worked together to conduct a population-wide study. Census data, Sweden’s national death registry and both inpatient and outpatient registries were used to obtain information on more than seven million Swedish adults. Based on this information, researchers attempted to determine both the suicide rates and the risk factors leading up to the suicide deaths.

According to the results, there were more than 8,721 members who died by suicide from the years 2001 to 2008. Researchers studied the deaths and determined that:

• Depression was the risk factor with the highest overall link to suicides. Depression created a 32-fold increased risk of suicide and suicide deaths were most common within 13 weeks of an initial diagnosis of depression.
• The chances of death due to suicide were highest for individuals with any type of psychiatric diagnosis.
• A poor social network caused an increase in the suicide risk but only by a small margin. Both divorce and being unmarried were considered indicators of a poorer social network.
• Men were approximately three times as likely as women to die by suicide.
• Men who were young, single and had a low level of education had a higher suicide risk than women.
• Mental illness was a stronger risk factor for suicide for women than for men.
• Among the social risk factors for suicide, women were most affected by unemployment and men were most affected by being single.
• Patients with physical ailments were also more likely to die by suicide. Those with cancer, spine disorders, obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or stroke history were between 1.4 and 2.1 times as likely to die by suicide as people without these medical problems.

This study was one of the largest population-wide studies to consider a variety of different risk factors and their implications on suicide deaths.  The study also revealed that around 57 percent of women and 45 percent of men visited a doctor within three months of the death by suicide, and that 29.5 percent of women and 21.7 percent of men had seen a doctor as recently as two-weeks prior.

There are clearly lots of missed opportunities for doctors to identify suicide risks and to take action, and healthcare professionals need to get better at understanding the predictors of suicide so they can provide help to those who reach out.

If you lost a loved  one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call  214-618-8222.

According to a recent survey of 2,345 U.S. adults conducted online in April 2013, only around 33 percent of Americans reported that they were very happy. The Huffington Post reports that this indicates a decline in happiness that has continued over the last two years.  The survey also revealed something even more disturbing than the fact that most Americans aren’t that happy: it revealed that happiness varies by race.

Our Dallas suicide lawyers know that there are a lot of risk factors that can contribute to making someone more likely to die by suicide. Recent evidence suggests that race and class may be among those factors, especially as income inequality grows in the United States and as we struggle with ongoing economic challenges and an increasingly low-wage job market.

Minority Status Can Affect Suicide Risk

The Huffington Post indicated that African-Americans and whites are at roughly the same levels of happiness, although reports of satisfaction have declined among African-Americans in recent years. Around 34 percent of whites indicated that they were happy, while an estimated 36 percent of American-Americans said that they are happy (down from 44 percent in 2011).

Hispanics, however, had the lowest rates of people reporting that they were very happy. Only 28 percent of Hispanic – fewer than three out of every 10- said that they were very happy. This is both a significant decline from 2011 when 35 percent said they were happy and a significantly lower percentage than among either African Americans or Caucasians.

Although researchers were cautious to indicate that a clear cause of unhappiness cannot be determined from the research, factors such as college degree status and work situation may be affecting the happiness of respondents and especially of Hispanics.

Unfortunately, when people are less happy, they are more likely to suffer from depression and are more likely to have suicidal tendencies. Of course, merely not being happy is not generally enough to lead someone to attempt suicide. However, race and class differences likely do have an impact on suicidal tendencies. In fact, in one area in the Hamptons, a local high school is seeing the consequences of changing racial demographics as three students out of 900 committed suicide, all of whom were Hispanic.

According to the New York Times, East Hampton High faced an “uncomfortable ethnic integration problem,” that had been festering in the background for a long time. East Hampton is traditionally a very wealthy area, but in recent years there have been many poorer Hispanic residents and children who moved to East Hampton years after their parents had arrived and who were struggling to readjust to their parents, learn a new language, and enter a new school that is “rarefied even by the standards of the average American student.”

Three of the students who entered into this environment committed suicide in just three years, which is far above the regional average. One, a 16-year-old junior from Ecuador, hung himself just days after homecoming. The suicide was the second in three years and was followed by another suicide death two months later. The suicides were described as bringing to the surface concerns about the racial and economic divisions among students.

While this school is a microcosm, situations like this may arise more and more throughout the United States, especially as demographics shift and especially if divisions in happiness levels continue to grow. Understanding the impact of race and class on suicide rates may thus become a very important issue in upcoming years.

If you lost a loved one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call 214-618-8222.

Dallas, TX suicide lawyer Skip Simpson knows that those who use a gun in a suicide attempt are much more likely to be effective than those who try to kill themselves via other methods. This is why it is especially alarming that new research shows many kids considering suicide have access to guns in the home.

As NBC News reports, researchers have found that as many as one in five kids who is at risk of suicide lives in a home where guns are accessible. It is very important that parents and mental health professionals watch for signs of suicide when there are guns in the home in order to ensure that kids are not put at risk.

Access to Guns Dangerous for Suicidal Teens

Suicide is the number three cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24. In some states like Washington number 2 cause. Each year, around 4,600 kids die by suicide, with 45 percent of those kids using guns in their suicides.

Unfortunately, when a young adult attempts to use a gun to die by suicide, this is much more likely to result in death than other methods. People who use pills or who cut themselves are successful in actually killing themselves only three percent of the time, in large part because these methods take a longer time to work and are harder to accomplish.

A gun, on the other hand, can result in instant death or grave injury.  This is why almost half of all successful completed suicides were done with a firearm.

With young adults at greater risk for suicide and with guns the most lethal suicide method, the high number of suicidal teens with access to guns is beyond disturbing.

The Research

The information on the number of teens with access to guns was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting. Researchers obtained their data using simple questionnaires that were handed out to kids visiting emergency rooms. The results of the questions indicated that:

• 29 percent of the kids who answered the question were at risk for suicide. Especially disturbing was the fact that one in ten kids who were at the emergency room for reasons other than psychiatric complaints were still found to be at risk of suicide.
• 17 percent reported that there were guns in or around their homes.
• 31 percent of kids who were at risk of suicide and who had guns in their homes knew how to access the guns and the same percentage knew where the bullets were kept.
• 15 percent of suicidal teens knew where both the guns and the bullets were kept.

As this data shows, there are many kids who are potentially at risk of dying by suicide whose parents have guns in the home. Worse, a teen may be suicidal and parents may be unaware of this and thus not able to monitor the young person or make sure the guns are properly and securely stored.

It is essential that parents know when their kids are at risk of suicide in order to ensure that these young people cannot easily access guns. Of course young kids should never be able to easily access guns. Mental health professionals need to be on the lookout for signs of danger so they can let parents know when action needs to be taken to prevent a potential death-by-suicide.

The worn out quote by LaPierre that “the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun,” fails to address adults and children at risk for suicide who are not bad guys but people who are overwhelmed at the moment.

If you lost a loved  one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call 214-618-8222.

Suicide rates have traditionally been the highest among teens and the elderly, but a new study shows a surprising rise in suicides among the middle aged. NBC News discussed this disturbing trend, citing a CDC study showing that the number of suicides for people between the ages of 35 and 64 has risen dramatically.

Dallas, TX suicide attorney Skip Simpson knows that the number of suicide-related deaths now surpasses the number of deaths in car accidents. A larger number of these deaths are occurring among middle-aged Americans, leading experts to speculate about what is driving this dramatic increase in suicides.

Suicide Rates Rising Among the Middle Aged

The recent CDC data on suicides shows that:

• Between 1999 and 2010, there has been a 28 percent rise in suicide rates for people between the ages of 35 and 64. At the same time, suicide rates for young people and those over 65 have remained steady.
• Those ages 50 to 54 and 55 to 59 had the biggest increase in suicides, with the fatality rate increasing by 48 percent and 55 percent respectively.
• In 2010, 33,687 people died from car accidents while 38,364 died from suicide. Traditionally, car accident deaths have been a top cause of fatalities so this new change reflects a distressing increase in the number of suicides.
• The suicide rate for middle aged Americans has increased the most among non-Hispanic whites, American Indians and Native Alaskans.
• There has been an increase in the number of suicides by hanging, suffocations, poisoning and self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
• While men are still more likely than women to kill themselves, suicide rates increased by 32 percent for women and by 27 percent for men.

The increases in suicides among these specific sectors of the population indicate that the higher number of deaths may be related to bad economic situations.

While the CDC does not address the reason for the rising suicide rates, others argue that both unemployment and home foreclosures lead to an increased number of people taking their own lives.

While recessions in the past have not generally resulted in a major increase in suicides, there is a clear link between suicide and unemployment with the unemployed having between two and four times the suicide rate of the employed. Further, the current high number of foreclosures is unprecedented, and it is clear that both a job loss and the risk of losing a home would create a situation of high stress.

Identifying Suicide Risks

Middle-aged Americans who are coping with depression and stress as a result of their job losses or foreclosures may be better equipped to get help for themselves from mental health professionals than teens or the elderly. After all, people in this age group likely have more knowledge of the types of mental health help available than teens do and have more control over their own healthcare choices.

The middle-aged may also be more mobile and more able to see a psychiatrist or psychologist than someone who is elderly. Therapy has also become more widely accepted and there is greater understanding of depression and mental health than in the past.

Yet, despite the fact that getting help may be easier, the rising suicide rates show that it is either not effective or that those considering suicide aren’t reaching out for assistance. Another likely consideration suicide rates are not falling but increasing is because of a lack of suicide training in the mental health field. This point is made in Preventing Suicide through Improved Training in Suicide Risk Assessment and Care: an American Association of Suicidology Task Force Report Addressing Serious Gaps in U.S. Mental Health Training, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 42(3) June 2012, authored by seven top suicidologists and Skip Simpson.

When someone does seek help, it is important for the mental health professionals to be aware of the increased suicide risks among the middle-aged and to take action if there are red flags. Since most suicide prevention programs are aimed at the young and the elderly, preventing suicides among the middle-aged may be largely uncharted territory for some professionals.

Since 1998, the Youth Risk Survey has been conducted across Massachusetts. Unfortunately, this year’s results showed a surprisingly high suicide risk among young people. As the Harvard Press reports, parents were shocked to learn that many teens had attempted or considered suicide.

Skip Simpson is a Dallas, TX suicide attorney who knows that suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people. Unfortunately, many parents are unaware of the extent of the teen suicide risk. Recognizing that suicide is a major problem among young people is the first step to ensuring that kids get the help they need.

Teen Suicide Risk

According to the 2013 Youth Risk survey:

• Fourteen percent of females and 12 percent of males in grades 9-12 indicated they had seriously considered suicide in the past twelve months.
• Five percent of males and four percent of females in grades 9-12 indicated that they had attempted suicide in the past year.
• Students in the class of 2014 were most likely to have seriously considered suicide in the prior year. As many as 16 percent of students in this grade level indicated that they had thought seriously about taking their own life.
• Students in the class of 2013 were most likely to have attempted suicide in the prior year. Seven percent of students in these grade levels responding to the survey said they had tried to kill themselves.

The study, therefore, shows that many young people who responded are potentially at risk of dying by suicide if they act upon their suicidal tendencies or if they follow through and make a subsequent attempt to take their own life.

Local school districts have attempted to take proactive steps to curb the teen suicide risk that exists. Their efforts include a group of guidance counselors who meet weekly to discuss students who are potentially at-risk. Health and wellness courses also exist that are intended to cater to the needs of students, which will hopefully give kids an outlet if there are things that are troubling them.

Parents Need to be Aware of the Risks

While school involvement is important, it is essential for parents to be aware of the high risk of teen suicide and to be watchful of signs of suicidal tendencies in their children. Unfortunately, it can be very tricky to separate normal teen angst from a real risk of suicide, and parents are often not equipped to see and evaluate the signs of suicide in their children.

For those parents who have reason to suspect that their children are at-risk, seeking help from mental health professionals is typically the best course of action. Mental health professionals offering either in-patient or out-patient treatment should have special training in identifying a serious risk of suicide and  have a professional obligation both to warn of a potentially serious threat and also to help those who are contemplating death by suicide. Sadly many mental health professionals are not adequately trained in suicide. When parents meet with mental health professionals it is wise to ask the clinician what specific training they have in suicide prevention. Don’t be embarrassed to ask. If you are not satisfied with the clinician’s answer contact the American Association of Suicidology for help.

By getting help for kids who are struggling, parents can hopefully ensure that their children will not become one of the large percentage of teens who tries to take their own life.

If you lost a loved  one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call 214-618-8222.

Suicide isn’t something people like to think about, and it is not something that gets talked about much. Unfortunately, the fact that suicide is taboo is a deterrent to getting people the help they need and makes it harder to recognize when someone is suicidal.

Talking about suicide, learning about suicide and understanding suicide is very important to try to curb this dangerous problem. Our Dallas TX suicide lawyers know that developing a deeper understanding of suicide is a key way to save lives. This is why suicide attorney Skip Simpson worked with renowned journalist and best-selling author C.C. Risenhoover on the book “The Suicide Lawyers: Exposing Lethal Secrets.”

The Suicide Lawyers: An Important Book to Read

C.C. Risenhoover is an award-winning investigative journalist who tackles the tough subjects. Risenhoover set out to write an important book that would empower loved ones and friends to better understand the danger signals that can indicate that someone is considering suicide.

Suicide is a major public health problem, as it is the third leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in the United States. The number of annual deaths resulting from suicides is three times greater than the number of fatalities caused by AIDs, and 10,000 more people die by their own hand each year in suicides than die as a result of murders.

Suicide is more prevalent than one might think, with the number of suicides in the United State in the past fifteen years exceeding the number of deaths that occurred in battle during the whole of the 20^th century.

In many of the tragic suicides that occur, family and friends are left feeling that they could have made a difference if they’d only known about the signs or had a better understanding of suicide dangers. C.C. Risenhoover’s book is written for those who want to know more, who want to understand the nature of suicide and who want to be able to protect their loved ones from giving into the temptation to end their own lives.

Why Interview a Suicide Lawyer?

When learning about what drives someone to suicide, it is important to consider all of the possible angles, and it is important to have a clear understanding of the signs of suicide.

C.C. Risenhoover chose to interview suicide attorney Skip Simpson because the author believes that Mr. Simpson can provide a unique perspective that will help readers to better understand the tough issue of suicide. When presenting a case to a jury about a mental health professional who failed to recognize signs of suicide, an attorney needs to explain in clear terms exactly what went wrong. It is this type of clarity that can help the reader of this book to better understand what happens in the time leading up to a suicide.

C.C. Risenhoover’s book pries into the mind of Skip Simpson to illustrate the hows, whos, whats, wheres, whens and whys of the suicide problem in America. It is a must-read for anyone wanting to build up a defense to prevent loved ones from becoming another suicide statistic.

Today, there is grave concern about the high suicide rate among veterans driven by PTSD and other lasting mental and physical injuries caused by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, according to the Huffington Post, around 22 veterans each day died by suicide in 2010. Unfortunately, even with a lot of focus on improving mental healthcare for veterans to combat suicide, some VA hospitals and medical centers are falling short.

Suicide lawyer Skip Simpson was recently distressed to read in the Virginian Pilot about one medical center serving veterans in eastern Virginia and North Carolina that is failing suicidal veterans in important ways. Simpson believes that every returning vet deserves to get the help he or she needs to move on with his or her life and to resolve any physical or mental problems they face. When hospitals don’t provide adequate help to suicidal veterans, they need to be held accountable. There are clear safety rules which must be followed. We all learned as children when rules are violated there are consequences. If not there is no incentive to get proper training and for hospitals to provide adequate staff to protect patients at risk for suicide.

Hampton VA Medical Center Failing Patients

The Hampton VA Medical Center serves nearly 240,000 veterans in both eastern Virginia and the northeastern part of North Carolina. An estimated 300 patients a day seek help from the Hampton VA Medical Center, many of whom are at risk for suicide.

Unfortunately, a recent government inspection discovered that the Medical Center is not providing required follow-up care when discharging suicidal patients.

According to the policy set by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans who are at a high risk of dying by suicide must be evaluated at least weekly when they are discharged from the hospital. The weekly evaluations need to continue for a period of at least 30 days.

In order to ensure veterans get their follow-up evaluations, those who are at high risk of suicide are supposed to have four weekly appointments scheduled at the time they are discharged from the hospital. If the suicidal veterans fail to show up to their weekly appointments, they are supposed to receive follow-up telephone calls.When a patient cannot be reached and does not show up to his appointment, then the VA Medical Center is supposed to call the emergency contact. If the hospital cannot get in touch with the emergency contact and there is a reason to suspect that the veteran is not safe, a follow-up telephone call is supposed to be made to law enforcement.

Unfortunately, an investigation of Hampton Medical Center revealed that in four out of ten cases, discharged veterans were not getting this follow-up care. The investigation was conducted by the department’s Office of Inspector General.

Leaders at the Medical Center have conferred with the Office of the Inspector General and report that they have instituted corrective procedures in order to ensure they are in compliance with policy.

It is extremely important that the Medical Center actually follow up and take steps to ensure that these suicidal veterans are getting the help they need.  If they fail to provide appropriate care and a veteran commits suicide after leaving the facility, then the Medical Center may potentially be held legally accountable for the role it played in failing to protect the patient. This is just common sense and decency. These veterans protected us and we must protect them.

If you lost a loved  one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call  214-618-8222.

Teenagers often have to cope with hormonal issues, issues of bullying, and self-esteem problems that could cause them to consider suicide. For teens who are LGBT — lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual — they may be subject to additional bullying and concerns about their identity. Because of the added challenges they face, it may come as no surprise that one recent study shows that LGBT teens are at a greater risk of suicide than their heterosexual peers.

Suicide malpractice lawyer Skip Simpson is concerned that these young people are often in situations where they feel suicide is the only way out. He believes it is important to recognize the challenges that LGBT teens face and urges mental health professionals and care providers to be aware of the high risk of suicide and take any necessary steps to prevent their teenage patients from harming themselves.

LGBT Teens at Greater Risk of Suicide

According to the Independent Record, teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered in middle school or in high school are often subject to verbal harassment; physical harassment and assault. Six of ten LGBT students who participated in a CDC survey reported that they felt unsafe in school and eight in ten had been subject to some type of harassment. In Texas in early March, one of many examples of such bullying was reported. The Huffington Post indicated that a Texas lesbian was beaten unconscious on a playground after defending a bullied child. The man who attacked her shouted anti-gay slurs.

With incidents like these, it should come as no surprise that teens who identify as LGBT are at greater risk of suicide than their peers. In addition to dealing with bullying, they may also be concerned that their identity makes them outsiders and may fear losing the approval of their families or social communities. This can exacerbate suicidal tendencies and is just another factor that makes a difference in explaining the higher suicide rates among LGBT teens.

The difference in suicide rates is striking, with the Independent Record reporting that a national study of adolescents had revealed that LGBT teens were more than twice as likely as their heterosexual peers to have tried to kill themselves. In Montana, where there are a high number of suicides throughout the state, the data also indicates that 15 percent of young people who reported suicide attempts also reported that they had been involved in a same-sex relationship or felt attractions to members of their own sex.

A licensed mental health counselor who is executive director of an outreach program targeted toward LGBT teens and college students indicated that most of his teen and young adult clients had considered suicide. According to his statement to the Independent Record, the counselor believes that the thoughts of suicide may be driven by concern that they cannot have a good life and that getting through high school seems insurmountable.

As long as discrimination and bullying continue, the sad fact is that LGBT teens may continue to be plagued by these thoughts. It is very important for all healthcare providers to be aware of the increased risk of suicide faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender teens and to take appropriate steps to get them the help they need.

If you lost a loved  one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call  214-618-8222.

In January 2013, the San Antonio Express published an article drawing attention to the high number of military suicides. Chron.com pointed out that this was a major problem both on the national level as well as within the state of Texas.

Suicide negligence attorney Skip Simpson knows that many veterans are struggling with PTSD, joblessness and other mental, physical and social problems, which are contributing to higher suicide rates. We urge veterans’ health administrators, lawmakers and all mental health professionals to provide veterans with the help and support they need to try to curb the record number of suicides that are occurring.

Veteran Suicides Occurring at Record Numbers

According to Chron.com, the number of military suicides was at a record high in 2012, with 516 military suicides occurring across all branches of the military. Those in the army were most likely to commit suicide, with a total of 325 army suicides. The army deaths accounted for two-thirds of all military deaths-by-suicide in 2012.

The San Antonio Express also indicated that approximately one military suicide occurred every 18 hours over the course of the year. This record-high number of suicides has been reflective of a recent trend. For example, the San Antonio Express quoted data from the army showing that 1,940 army suicides have occurred since 2003. Further, the total suicides over the past ten years — 3,438 — exceeds the 3,256 combat deaths that occurred among the U.S. and allies in Afghanistan.

While this is a national problem, there are also issues local to Texas as well. For example, Chron.com went on to report that Crime Clean of Texas has seen a fifteen percent increase in total suicides in 2012 and an increase in military suicides for the past 18 months.

The High Veteran Suicide Rate

The high veteran suicide rate is likely driven by many different factors. The San Antonio Express identifies possible causes of the rise in the military suicide rate, which include:

• Repeated deployments which cause stress.
• A shrinking military.
• A slow economy upon return from deployment, which can make it difficult or impossible to find gainful employment.
• Financial and relationship problems, especially on return from repeated or lengthy deployments.
• Traumatic brain injuries and other wounds inflicted during combat.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• A loss of identity when they are no longer engaged in active duty service or combat.
• Difficulty reintegrating into their families and communities.

The military has recognized the problem and is trying to take steps to combat it. However, as a Navy spokesman acknowledged to the San Antonio Express, no one has yet found a way to solve the problem.

Education and outreach efforts are in place to try to stop the rising number of suicides, and the military has policies requiring follow-up care for veterans showing a high risk of suicide who are discharged from VA hospitals and facilities. However, ultimately those who are struggling with suicidal tendencies will need to get help from a qualified mental health professional who can properly diagnose and treat their conditions and provide help to prevent suicide. Mental health professionals must also be trained and equipped to spot signs of suicide and respond appropriately.

If you lost a loved  one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call  214-618-8222.

When a person is struggling with suicidal tendencies or coping with depression, often the best solution is to seek help from a therapist or a mental health professional. A mental health professional can recognize signs of suicide, take immediate steps to prevent suicide from occurring, and work to create a long-term treatment plan that will help a suicidal person to find another solution.

Unfortunately, in many cases, stigma still remains about asking for help from a therapist or from a mental health professional. Attorney Skip Simpson, who represents families in suicide malpractice lawsuits, believes that this ongoing reluctance among many to get the mental help they need is one of the leading causes of suicide in the United States.

High Suicide Rates Caused by Reluctance to Seek Help

To understand the impact that a reluctance to seek mental help can have, you need only look to the suicide rate in Wyoming. As the Star Tribune’s online website reported, Wyoming has the highest suicide rate in the United States. The state’s suicide ranking has remained in the top five per capita for years, and many of the suicides in the state involve men 50 or older. Many of the suicides also involve death by gunshot wound.

According to the Star Tribune, suicide experts and prevention specialists have been unable to identify the exact reason for such a high suicide rate. However, a therapist at Yellowstone Behavioral Health Center in Cody told the Star Tribune that there were likely three contributing factors to the high suicide rate: a cowboy culture, a rugged individualist mentality, and a stigma about accepting any type of mental health treatment.

While a rural lifestyle is also cited as a strong factor for higher suicide rates, it is the limited access to treatment in these rural areas that likely contributes to the higher rate of suicide. The senior director of research for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention indicated, for example, that rural areas create a sense of isolation, and that there is typically little access to mental health professionals in many small rural communities.

Furthermore, not only is there limited treatment available, but the director also suggested that there is a culture of shame surrounding seeking treatment. As such, people in these small rural communities may be more resistant to acknowledge that they need help or may be more resistant to acknowledge going into mental health treatment.

To help curb the high suicide rates, Wyoming is trying new methods, including providing a psychological autopsy to family members of suicide victims in order to try to better understand the causes of suicide. However, as long as the cultural stigma about getting mental help remains, and as long as people remain reluctant to seek the assistance of a qualified therapist, it is likely that the state will face grave difficulties in significantly reducing the suicide rate.

The statistics from Wyoming, as well as the opinions from the experts show just how important it is to get treatment and just what an essential role therapists and mental health professionals play in helping people to avoid suicide and find positive alternatives.  Getting folks to proper care is important but making sure the clinician is competent to properly perform a systematic suicide assessment and manage the patient is equally important. In a recent publication “Preventing Suicide through Improved Training in Suicide risk Assessment and Care: An American Association of Suicidology Task Force Report Addressing Serious Gaps in U.S. Mental Health Training,” co-authored by Skip Simpson and top national suicidologist details the lack of competence in suicide issues by many clinicians.

If you lost a loved  one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call  214-618-8222.