Sedgwick County suicide rate rises compared with previous year

Eighty-two Sedgwick County residents committed suicide in 2014, up from 70 in 2013.

The suicide rate last year was 16.4 per 100,000 county residents, according to a report by the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition.

“When we compare that over time to state and national rates, we see that the rate has been increasing over the past few years,” said Nicole Klaus, a pyschologist at KU’s Medical School in Wichita.

The rate in 2013 was 14.1 per 100,000 residents.

Klaus said suicide is a difficult trend to track because rates vary significantly year to year.

“There are so many factors associated with suicide,” she added.

Suicide deaths are much more common in males than females, she said.

Residents ages 65 and over had the highest suicide rate of any age group, according to the report.

“I think it’s important we have resources available for those people as they age,” said Klaus, referring to outreach programs done through the county’s aging department.

Fifty-five percent of suicides in the county in 2014 had a history of prior suicidal tendencies or previous suicide attempts, according to the report. Many of those actions have roots in substance abuse or mental illness.

“We know a significant portion of those who die by suicide have a history of mental health problems,” Klaus said.

Suicide prevention techniques, like hotlines, can provide help when someone is considering suicide, said Jason Scheck, Comcare’s director of outpatient services.

The 24-hour suicide hotline in Sedgwick County is 316-660-7500. Scheck said the hotline is an effective suicide prevention tool.

“Our main job in answering that crisis hotline is to listen and understand what that person needs,” Scheck said. “The vast majority of folks that call that number are reaching out for help. Studies have shown that people who have called crisis hotlines do experience a decrease in suicidality, not just in that moment but over time.”

Klaus said the county offers training and workshops to help people intervene if someone they know is considering suicide.

Commissioners expressed concern about the rise in the suicide rate.

“One suicide is too many,” said Sedgwick County Commissioner Tim Norton. “… You wonder how many more people that are out there on the edge or think about it a lot.”

Commissioners Dave Unruh and Jim Howell said confronting stigma is key to lowering suicide rates.

“There’s a certain stigma that’s related to (talking about suicide) and we have to overcome that as well,” Unruh said. “We as a community we have to be ready to step up, engage a person and just talk about it.”

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Sedgwick County suicide rate rises compared with previous year."