Florida’s Commitment to

Suicide Prevention

James R. McDonough
Florida Office of Drug Control
 Uniformed and
Armed Professions

Emile Durkheim
Leadership Responsibilities

Importance of support from the

top down

Ensure health of officers

Individual Responsibilities

Admit the Need For Help

Introspection

Self Honesty
 Air Force Approach
Suicide was 2nd leading cause of death in USAF between 1990-1994
Developed and Instituted a suicide prevention program
Identified 3 themes among suicide victims
-Stigma
-Beliefs
-Cultural Norms

Identified Risk and Protective Factors

Developed 11 initiatives to their plan
Rates decreased from 16.4 per 100,000 in 1997 to 2.2 per 100,000 in
1999
 Public Awareness
Suicide is America’s 11th leading cause of death

30,000 American’s die each year by suicide

9th leading cause of death in Florida

In 2003, there were 2,294 suicides if Florida

Youth
3rd leading cause of death for ages 10-24
2nd leading cause of death for American college students

Adults
Highest number of suicides
In 2003, approximately 68% of all suicides were among
ages 25-64

Elderly
Comprise 12% of population and account for 18% of
nation’s suicides
Suicide rate is six times the national average among this
population
In 2002, twice as many Americans died by suicide
than from HIV/AIDS

In 2003, there were 1,004 homicides which is

under half of the suicide rate.
Law Enforcement officers may experience a suicide rate
two to three times that of the general population

Substance abuse disorders are involved in nearly 60% of

all suicides. Alcohol alone is a factor in 25-43%.

Law Enforcement officers are almost 4 times more likely

to abuse alcohol and prescription drugs than the national
average
 Reducing Stigma of Suicide
and Mental Illness

Negative attitudes and beliefs that lead the general public

to fear, reject, avoid, and discriminate against people with
mental illnesses.
 Reducing Stigma

54 Million Americans are affected by one or more mental

disorder

•Approximately 23% of the workforce experiences a mental

health problem annually

66% of workers who have mental illnesses have not sought

treatment
Reducing Stigma

•It affects all of us

•It’s about fairness

•It’s preventable
 Reducing Stigma

Seek to Change Perceptions

Work to Eliminate Barriers

Promote good mental health among law

enforcement
 Education & Training

Gatekeeper Training

Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and

Management
 Screening
Depression
90% of suicide victims had one or more diagnosable
mental illness at the time of death

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

 Prevention
Importance of getting wellness checkups

Maintaining good mental health before a crisis

Law Enforcement Wellness Association

 Resources
Employee Assistance Programs
www.myflorida.com/drugcontrol
Law Enforcement Wellness Association
Central Florida Police Stress Unit Inc.
Crisis Intervention Training
Gatekeeper/ QPR Training