Syndromic Surveillance of Suicidal Ideation and Self-Directed Violence — United States, January 2017–December 2018

Adherence to suicide reporting guidelines by news shared on a social networking platform

“…Indeed, the rapid rise in deaths due to suicide has been a leading contributor to the first and largest decrease in overall life expectancy in the United States observed in decades ( 3 , 4 ). In addition to rising deaths from suicide, rates of nonfatal suicide-related thoughts and behaviors are also increasing ( 5 , 6 ). Annually, there are nearly 500,000 Emergency Department visits for self-harm, and rates of such injuries have risen by more than 39% from 2001 to 2017 ( 5 ).…”

An Observational Study of Telemental Care Delivery and the Context for Involuntary Commitment for Mental Health Patients in a Group of Rural Emergency Departments

“…Mean wait time for IC patients was 19 min (95% CI [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]), with a range of 7 min (95% CI [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]) for SA patients to 35 min (95% CI ) for anxiety, depression, and other mental illness patients, a statistically significant difference ( p = 0.045). Mean wait time for IC patients brought to ED by law enforcement was shorter on average than for nonforensic patients, with time-toprovider averaging 11 min (95% CI [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]) compared with 20 min (95% CI ), respectively.…”

“…Mean wait time for IC patients brought to ED by law enforcement was shorter on average than for nonforensic patients, with time-toprovider averaging 11 min (95% CI [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]) compared with 20 min (95% CI ), respectively. Mean wait time for non-IC patients was 23 min (95% CI [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]), with a range of 17 min (95% CI [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]) for SA patients to 29 min (95% CI [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]…”

The Persistent Enigma and Challenge of Suicide

“…4 To complicate an already complicated situation, a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the number of visits to emergency departments from January 2017 to December 2018 rose 25.5%, with the largest increase in males age 10 to 19 years (a 62.3% increase) and in females age 10 to 19 years (a 33.7% increase). 5 During those 24 months, the rate of visits for suicidal ideation or selfdirected violence was about 1,300 per 100,000 emergency department visits. 5 Beyond treating psychiatric disorders to reduce the risk of suicide, the CDC promotes several strategies to prevent suicide: strengthen economic supports, strengthen access and delivery of suicide care, create protective environments, promote connectedness, teach coping and problem-solving skills, identify and support people with risk factors, lessen harms, and prevent future risk.…”

“…5 During those 24 months, the rate of visits for suicidal ideation or selfdirected violence was about 1,300 per 100,000 emergency department visits. 5 Beyond treating psychiatric disorders to reduce the risk of suicide, the CDC promotes several strategies to prevent suicide: strengthen economic supports, strengthen access and delivery of suicide care, create protective environments, promote connectedness, teach coping and problem-solving skills, identify and support people with risk factors, lessen harms, and prevent future risk. 6 Where does all this leave us?…”