Washington, DC (December 18, 2006) – New research on completed suicides in South Carolina can help the state identify prevention strategies that can save lives, a coalition of health and welfare, violence and suicide prevention, and law enforcement advocates said today. The groups hailed the study along with several others drawn on data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) published in the journal Injury Prevention.
“The information we can learn from NVDRS is invaluable when it comes to our ability to address and prevent violent deaths,” said Neal D. Kohatsu, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P.M., president of the American College of Preventive Medicine, a member of the coalition. “This system effectively links existing data to create a critical public health tool to learn more about, and prevent, homicides and suicides.”
The South Carolina study linked the state’s NVDRS data to human services databases. Among the findings:
- Hospital Visits — More than half (57.4 percent) of those who completed suicide in South Carolina had visited a hospital or emergency room within two years prior to their death with an average of three visits. Of those who completed suicide in the state, 16.7 percent died within 30 days of a hospital visit.
- Criminal Records — Almost four out of ten (39.9 percent) individuals who died by suicide had a criminal history. Of those, more than one-third (35.2 percent) were arrested within 18 months of their death.
- Domestic Violence — One in five of those with a criminal record (20.4 percent) had been arrested for criminal domestic violence. Of those with records of domestic violence, 40 percent had been arrested for the crime in the 18 months prior to their death.
The Injury Prevention studies drew on data from NVDRS, a database constructed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To date, 17 states in the U.S., including South Carolina have begun tracking details of violent deaths via NVDRS. Sixteen additional states and territories have expressed an interest in participating in NVDRS. Lack of funding has held up full implementation of the database in all 50 states, which is estimated to cost $20 million per year to maintain.
NVDRS currently includes identifying characteristics about victims and perpetrators of violent deaths, their relationship, plus information about location, weapons, presence of alcohol or drugs, and other factors. There are approximately 50,000 violent deaths each year in the United States.
The benefits of NVDRS data for states are already evident, even though the program is still in its early stages. NVDRS states are using the data to identify prevention opportunities, revitalize the strategic planning process, and forge partnerships for prevention initiatives. For example, the data strongly suggests that South Carolina should devote more suicide prevention screening and resources to those who are hospitalized, especially for suicide attempts.
For a copy of the full text of the Injury Prevention supplement, visit http://ip.bmj.com/
[BACK] |
