Introduction
Mental health is a fundamental aspect of individuals’ well-being and life quality. For this reason, modern healthcare should focus on addressing the most critical problems linked to the area and resolving them. Thus, suicide is the leading cause of death in the USA, with 45,979 cases in 2020 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Healthy People 2030 (2022) statistics show that there are 13.9 suicides per 100,000 population. Moreover, the relevant statistics show that some groups have a greater risk for suicide. These include sexual and gender minorities, middle-aged adults, and tribal populations (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2022). Thus, speaking about the state’s epidemiological data, depression, and suicide-related behaviors are more common among Duval County compared to other Florida residents (Florida Health, 2017). It means that the region has a severe health issue because of the reported suicide ideation and the higher risk of death among residents caused by this factor.
Discussion
In such a way, the facts above show a specific problem affecting the state. It is also relevant for Duval County, as the suicide rates and ideation are high. The issue is highly topical to middle-aged adults who suffer from depression, crisis, and reconsideration of their values. In such a way, they can be viewed as a vulnerable group requiring specific assistance and support. The specific behaviors include alcohol consumption, loneliness because of the past divorce and unsuccessful romantic experiences, and mental health diseases (Dzeng & Pantilat, 2018). Under these conditions, the primary goal is to select the most effective approach and method to address the high suicide rate and reduce it to improve the wellness of the nation and its mental health.
The existing body of knowledge offers much information about major causes and reasons for the emergence of suicide ideation among adults. These might include the crisis of loneliness, serious illness and the threat of complications, and economic and political trends (Dzeng & Pantilat, 2018). Mental illness stigma might also be viewed as a serious cause triggering the development of suicidal inclinations among individuals with conditions of this sort (Oexle et al., 2017). It means that the successful management of the issue requires addressing the problem by eliminating the causes of undesired behaviors and their negative impact on adults with a high risk of committing suicide. The relevance of the problem is evidenced by numerous programs designed to help the group.
One of the possible measures implies specific courses for health workers to address the issue. For instance, pharmacists are recommended to undertake suicide prevention training, including online and in-person courses (Carpenter et al., 2018). As far as medications are often used to pass away, pharmacists’ knowledge of how to detect adults with suicide ideation might help to reduce rates and guarantee that individuals will be provided with the necessary support (Carpenter et al., 2018). Another possible approach implies the timely detection and addressing of suicidal crises (Perlstein et al., 2022). For instance, the Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) focuses on discovering early signs of risky behaviors and improving coping strategies to assist patients and remove dangerous states (Perlstein et al., 2022). It can help to reduce the rates and improve the health of the nation.
Addressing and discovering suicidal ideation (SI) is viewed as an effective way of addressing the problem as well. It is often viewed as thoughts and ideas linked to the desire to leave life because of a set of problems (Schneider et al., 2020). Although there is no standard definition of SI, its effective management and addressing is a practical approach to dealing with high suicide rates (Schneider et al., 2020). For instance, empirically supported treatment (EST) promotes a substantial reduction in depressive symptoms and SI, which is a key to better outcomes (Schneider et al., 2020). For this reason, the approach can be used to address the identified problem and make it less significant in a selected region.
Patients with high depressive thoughts and suicidal inclinations might also use crisis hotlines. They might have positive effects on individuals’ states and provide them with recommendations on how to behave. Thus, the Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) is a brief intervention created to manage suicide crises among patients using hotlines (Labouliere et al., 2020). Counselors trained to use SPI have more chances to help patients with high suicidal ideation rates, understand their problems, and ensure they are provided with the support necessary for their recovery (Labouliere et al., 2020). It means that hotlines might also be an effective measure to assist vulnerable populations.
Conclusion
Altogether, the data show that high suicide rates among adults are a serious health concern. Regardless of the multiple attempts to improve the situation, it remains critical and requires immediate action. Some approaches imply using hotlines, addressing suicidal ideation levels, supportive therapies, and discussing the mental illness stigma. These methods might be used in different settings and promote better outcomes in various population groups. Based on these findings, the goal of my program will be to decrease suicide rates in Duval County by targeting suicidal ideation and depressive behaviors among adults.
References
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (2022). Suicide statistics. Web.
Carpenter, D. M., Lavigne, J. E., Roberts, C. A., Zacher, J., & Colmenares, E. W. (2018). A review of suicide prevention programs and training policies for pharmacists. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 58(5), 522–529.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Facts about suicide. Web.
Dzeng, E., & Pantilat, S. Z. (2018). Social causes of rational suicide in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 66(5), 853–855.
Florida Health. (2017). Your risk behavior survey: Violence, suicide, and safety behaviors. Web.
Healthy People 2030. (2022). Reduce the suicide rate — MHMD‑01. Web.
Labouliere, C. D., Stanley, B., Lake, A. M., & Gould, M. S. (2020). Safety planning on crisis lines: Feasibility, acceptability, and perceived helpfulness of a brief intervention to mitigate future suicide risk. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 50(1), 29–41.
Perlstein, J., Katzir, N., Lotan, A., & Kalla, C. (2022). Safety planning intervention for suicide prevention. Harefuah, 161(4), 210–214.
Oexle, N., Ajdacic-Gross, V., Kilian, R., Müller, M., Rodgers, S., Xu, Z., Rössler, W., & Rüsch, N. (2017). Mental illness stigma, secrecy and suicidal ideation. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 26(1), 53–60.
Schneider, R. A., Chen, S. Y., Lungu, A., & Grasso, J. R. (2020). Treating suicidal ideation in the context of depression.BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), 497. Web.