Category: Suicide and Self-Injury
Aleksandrs Karnick, M.P.H., M.A.
Graduate Student
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Mike Anestis, PhD
Executive Director
New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center
West Piscataway, New Jersey
Aleksandrs Karnick, M.P.H., M.A.
Graduate Student
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Allison Bond, M.A.
Graduate Student
Rutgers University
Titusville, New Jersey
Claire Houtsma, Ph.D.
Clinical Investigator and Suicide Prevention Coordinator
Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
New Orleans, Louisiana
Amanda Raines, Ph.D.
Clinical Investigator
Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
New Orleans, Louisiana
Erin Wright-Kelly, M.A., Other
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Aurora, Colorado
Suicide is a public health and mental health emergency and the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Rates have risen by around 35% over the last 25 years, despite significant efforts to prevent and provide specific interventions to divert suicidal behavior. Further, despite representing fewer than 5% of suicide attempts, firearms account for over half of all suicide deaths and have a case fatality rate of nearly 90% (Conner, Azrael, & Miller, 2019; Curtin & Hedegaard, 2021). Because of the low population base rate of suicide deaths, it is difficult to assess risk factors for suicide and the current research literature has poor predictive power (Franklin et al., 2017). Due to the prevalence of research investigating the psychological characteristics of populations already thought to be at risk for suicide or among suicide decedents, little research exists investigating populations who have attempted suicide without prior contact with psychiatric interventions or before dying by suicide. Due to these deficiencies in predicting suicide, the high lethality of firearm suicide attempts, and the widespread availability of firearms, there have been multiple calls to address firearm suicides using a public health framework that incorporates epidemiological monitoring principles to evaluate and understand factors related to suicide risk and circumstances surrounding firearm injuries and suicide events (Knox, 2014; WHO, 2012).
In the United States, several public health data sources that contain a wealth of information are available to researchers to improve the understanding of suicide by firearm. Some of these sources, such as the National Violent Death Reporting System, utilize national decedent samples to obtain data on the type of firearm, location of injury, storage practices, and other factors associated with firearm suicides. Other sources, such as the National Trauma Data Bank, collect hospital trauma registry data including detailed clinical information regarding the circumstances surrounding trauma admissions for suicide attempt by firearm. While prior research has been hampered by difficulties obtaining clinical data on circumstances surrounding firearm suicide attempts and identifying survivors of suicide attempts by firearms, research using these public health data sources can provide additional insights and clinical indicators of suicide risk by capturing a broader range of suicide attempts and behaviors than could be assessed previously.
Findings from these studies have crucial implications for better developing clinical risk profiles and developing cognitive and behavioral interventions that can be implemented during an individual’s first contact with health services, rather than following a high-risk firearm suicide attempt. Crucially, this research has already led to the implementation of behavioral interventions to encourage safe storage practices and provide safety planning at primary medical and mental health sites for contact with attempts. This symposium will help clinicians understand these factors and how to use these insights to develop effective interventions.
Presenter: Aleksandrs T. Karnick, M.P.H., M.A. – University of Southern Mississippi
Co-author: Allison Bond, M.A. – Rutgers University
Co-author: Elinore Kaufman, MD, MSHP – Perelman School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania
Co-author: Mike Anestis, PhD – New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center
Co-author: Dan Capron, PhD – University of Southern Mississippi
Presenter: Allison Bond, M.A. – Rutgers University
Co-author: Aleksandrs T. Karnick, M.P.H., M.A. – University of Southern Mississippi
Co-author: Shelby Bandel, M.S. – Rutgers
Co-author: Dan Capron, PhD – University of Southern Mississippi
Co-author: Mike Anestis, PhD – New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center
Presenter: Claire Houtsma, Ph.D. – Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
Co-author: Jamie Tock, PhD – San Francisco VA Health Care System
Co-author: Amanda M. Raines, Ph.D. – Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
Presenter: Amanda M. Raines, Ph.D. – Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
Co-author: Jamie Tock, PhD – San Francisco VA Health Care System
Co-author: Claire Houtsma, Ph.D. – Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
Co-author: Kathryn Macia, Ph.D. – VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Co-author: Jane Herwehe, MPH – Louisiana Office of Public Health
Co-author: Joseph Constans, Ph.D. – VA Office of Research and Development
Presenter: Erin Wright-Kelly, M.A., Other – University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Co-author: Jani Little, PhD, MA – University of Colorado Boulder
Co-author: Kate Little, BA – University of Colorado Boulder
Co-author: Ashley Brooks-Russell, PhD, MPH – University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Co-author: Marian E. Betz, M.D., Other – Unviersity of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus