One state organization is continuing its battle against suicide and is aiming to educate the public on different resources available to help the cause.
The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN) recently announced that the suicide rate in 2016 hit a record high and that additional funding and resources will be needed to help combat the issue.
Scott Ridgeway, executive director with TSPN, indicated that in any given day, three people in Tennessee die by suicide.
According to information provided by the Tennessee Department of Health, 1,110 suicides were recorded in Tennessee in 2016, up from 1,065. Firearms remain the most common means of suicide death in Tennessee, accounting for 677 (61 percent) of recorded suicide deaths.
“While suicide rates in Tennessee went up only slightly in 2016, the new figures are the highest recorded in Tennessee in over 35 years of record-keeping and the suicide rate remains above the national average,” Ridgeway said. “We lose one person between the ages of 10-24 every four days, and every day we lose at least one person over the age of 45, with adults in midlife and older adults remaining at higher risk.”
Carter County’s numbers steadily increased over a two-year stretch. In 2016, a reported 11 suicide deaths were reported in the county, up from seven reported in 2015 and 2014.
Ridgeway added the latest figures from the American Association of Suicidology give a national suicide rate of 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2016 with Tennessee’s rate that year placing it 22nd highest in the country.
Citizens battling depression and looking to speak with someone have a variety of options to choose from. There are different hotlines to call, including 1-800-273-8255. Frontier Health also offers a crisis response hotline, available 24/7, she added. The hotline number is 1-877-928-9062. In emergency situations, call 911.
Visit tnsp.org online for more information on suicide prevention and a list of events going on in the coming months.