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Education, Resources and Support - It's Up to All of Us.

Welcome to the Maine Suicide Prevention Program Website

 

All NEW!! - Suicide Survivors Speakers Bureau

This Bureau is made up of people who have lost a loved one to suicide and have been trained to speak about their personal story of loss to the public to help prevent suicide. To schedule a speaker or learn more go to www.namimaine.org, scroll over the Education button at the top of the page, and click on "speakers bureau" on the drop down menu.

 

Lifespan suicide prevention plan

The Maine Suicide Prevention Program, led by the Maine CDC, is in the process of finalizing a five year plan to guide suicide prevention in Maine for citizens across the lifespan. With input from the MSPP Advisory Council and guided by the national suicide prevention strategy and research, a small work group has drafted a lifespan plan taking elements from two existing suicide prevention plans in Maine – one focused upon youth and one focused on adults.

The Maine CDC sought feedback and comments from Maine stakeholders in the month of December. The stakeholder comment process introduced the draft plan widely to professional and public audiences and gained valuable feedback on feasibility, integration strategies, priorities and gaps for the program.

 

View Draft Lifespan Suicide Prevention Plan (Word | PDF )

Suicidal behavior is complex and frightening. The impact of a suicide is devastating to family, friends, and entire communities. The frequency of suicide in Maine is cause for concern - there is one suicide every two days on average.

From 2005-2009, there were 901 deaths by suicide in the Maine population. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death for Maine residents, accounting for an average of 180 deaths annually. Of every 5 suicides, 4 are males.

Firearms were used in 53% of suicide deaths, poison in 22% and suffocation in 20% of all suicides during this time period. For every homicide there were 7 suicides during this time period.

Suicidal behavior, especially among young people, is a much larger public health problem than what is represented in death statistics. From 2005-2009, a total of 5,578 individuals were treated and discharged for self-injury in Maine hospitals. In 2009 alone, there were 1,135 hospital discharges for self-inflicted injuries. The highest rate of hospitalization for self-inflicted injuries was among youth aged 15-24 (15.1 per 10,000). Females were more likely to be hospitalized and to have an outpatient emergency department visit than males.

In the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 13.8% of high school and 19.5% of middle school students reported seriously considering suicide in the past year; 9% of high school and 9% of middle school students reported making at least one suicide attempt. Suicide attempts by young people are more likely to be non-fatal and result in an emergency department or hospital visit than attempts among older people. According to national estimates, there may be 25 to 100 non-fatal suicide attempts for every completed youth suicide

Everyone can help prevent suicide. This site is designed to help you learn more about suicide prevention and how you can help. Whether you are a youth looking for help for a friend or yourself, a parent, a family member, co-worker or other interested person, this site will provide you with education, resources, and support.

Youth suicide prevention is up to all of us.

 

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