Suicide in the Mountain West Region of the United States.

Background: The Mountain West region of the United States consistently reports the highest rates of suicide in the country. This pattern could reflect a regional culture-of-suicide script in support of suicide that implicitly influences individual’s behavior. Aims: The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether suicide rates are elevated in the Mountain West across a wide […]

Suicidal behavior during economic hard times.

Most research on suicide is quantitative, and qualitative research is needed to reveal how individuals subjectively experience and account for suicidal behaviors. Government-subsidized funding for outpatient mental health care should be sustained or increased during economic recessions to protect the most vulnerable from suicidal behavior when it is the only viable path toward immediate psychiatric […]

How Does Violence Potential Relate to Crisis Intervention Team Responses to Emergencies?

This study explored whether a crisis intervention team promotes public safety & diversion from jail to treatment. 655 police reports from Las Vegas, Nevada for events occurring between March 2003-May 2005 were analyzed. Some 45% of events involved suicide crises, 26% involved a threat to others, & average violence potential ratings suggested minor to moderate […]

Hotel Room Suicide: Las Vegas and Clark County

Case files of suicide from the Clark County (Nevada) Coroner were reviewed for the years 2003-2005. The suicide rate of local residents registering in local hotels was 271 per 100,000. This was greater than the suicide rate in the general population of Clark County. Hotel guests from outside Clark County had a reduced rate of […]

Visitor Suicides and Problem Gambling in the Las Vegas Market: a Phenomenon in Search of Evidence

The aim of this study was to find empirical evidence on whether problem gambling is, in fact, a determinant factor in visitor suicides in Las Vegas. The rate of visitor suicides was determined & then a qualitative analysis was performed to categorize the leading causes of the suicides. Emphasis was placed on the alleged relationship […]

Preventing Suicide: one Community at a Time. Nevada Suicide Prevention Plan 2007-2012

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Suicide Trends and Prevention in Nevada

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. In 2007, nearly 35,000 Americans took their own lives, a rate of 11.5 suicides per 100,000 (Xu et al. 2010). Among 15-24 year olds, suicide is the third leading cause of death and for those aged 25-34, it is the second leading cause (CDC […]

Study of Suicide Prevention

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Adolescent Suicide Risk and Peer-Related Violent Behaviors and Victimization

This exploratory study seeks to understand the link between peer-related violence (perpetration & victimization) & suicide risk among youth, using data from Arizona, Nevada, & Wyoming, where the highest rates of adolescent suicide in the U.S. are found. Higher levels of reported suicide risk were prominent among the multiethnic, urban, & female respondents. Male & […]

Suicide and Gambling: an Analysis of Suicide Rates in U.S. Counties and Metropolitan Areas

See SIEC #1997-1273 for reference to the Phillips et al study.

Elevated Suicide Levels Associated With Legalized Gambling

This article examines whether gamblers or those associated with them are prone to suicide & whether gaming communities experience atypically high suicide rates. An analysis of computerized mortality data showed that Las Vegas displays the highest levels of suicide in the U.S. In general, visitors to & residents of major gaming communities experience significantly elevated […]

Rural Adolescent Views of Risk and Protective Factors Associated With Suicide

In a self-report survey, 1,196 rural Nevada students were asked about risk & protective factors associated with suicide. Abuse & family conflict were overall highly rated suicide risk factors; close friends & a supportive family were highly rated protective factors, as well as highly rated sources of help. Implications for prevention programming & future research […]

A Profile of 97,100 Crisis Intervention Contacts Over a six Year Period

Data was collected on 97,100 telephone contacts received over a 6-year period by the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Call Center in Nevada. 9,869 (10.2%) of these calls were related to suicide. Among this 10.2%, 55% indicated having either thoughts of suicide or threatened suicide; another 26% were concerned about the potential suicide of someone else. […]

Adolescent Satanism: Rebellion Masquerading as Religion

This article describes adolescent satanic practices as studied by the authors working with affected families in 3 southwestern states over a 7-year period. A case example is given. Counsellors need to address underlying individual & family pathology, suicidal & homicidal ideation, self-mutilation, drug abuse, sexual abuse, & victimization by control. Concurrent family asssessment is imperative […]

A Sociocultural Autopsy: Self-Destructive Behavior Among the Duck Valley Indians

The author reported on his research into death patterns on the Duck Valley Reservation. Official death records were compared with on-reservation records to identify all non-natural deaths from 1969-78. Data on unequivocal suicides for 1949-78 were also collected as were data on all known suicide attempts during 1972-78. Preliminary results yielded a rough completed suicide […]

Did the Music say “Do It”?

This article describes the suicide & attempted suicide of 2 young Nevada men (18 & 20) who were possibly motivated by the music of heavy metal band, Judas Priest. The youth who attempted suicide but lived claimed that he & his friend were driven by the lyrics. (Later, he died by overdosing on drugs prescribed […]

FBI/NCIC Program and Postmortem Identification

A 21-year-old young adult white male in Nevada committed suicide by jumping. There was no identification found on his body & no fingerprints or dental records found locally. Following the establishment of the FBI/NCIC national computerized unidentified persons file, this suicide case was able to be solved by a notarized affadavit of identification from Massachusetts. […]

A University Affiliated Suicide Prevention Center

The program at a suicide prevention & crisis call centre, affiliated with the University of Nevada, focuses upon crisis intervention & was founded out of community concern for the high rate of suicide in the area. The type & use of staff, their training, present status of program & future directions are described.

Suicide: Meaning & Process (Micro HV 6548 V52 N46 1984)

An examination of the notes of suicide victims & the official reports of various social control agents in order to facilitate an understanding of the social construction of the meaning of suicide as well as its multiple meanings. All official records of suicides in Washoe, Nevada for a 3-year period were reviewed. It was found […]

Effect of Foreknowledge of Sex and Manner of Death in the Assessment From Suicide Notes of Intent to Die

Effects of Foreknowledge of Manner of Death in the Assessment From Genuine and Simulated Suicide Notes of Intent to Die

Indian Suicide: The Duck Valley Reservation

30 yrs. of completed suicides are summarized. The average yrly. rate is 117/100000. The age-adjusted rate for ages 15-24 is estimated to be 300/100000. The male to female ratio is 10:1 86% of suicides were alcohol related. The majority were single. Little variation in rates is evident from decade to decade. A list of recommendations […]

Suicide in Nevada: A Comparative Analysis

Demographic data from 227 recorded suicides (1961-1970) in Washoe County were compared with U.S. statistics (1959-1964), a suicide sample from Los Angeles County during 1957, & national census data. Suicide rates for residents only were considerably less than 25.9 per 100,000, although still among the highest in the U.S. Of the suicide sample of County […]