![\"Tennessee](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/TDOH-logo-blk.jpg\" "\\"Tennessee"){kind=logo}
Nashville, TN<\/strong> – In 2013, intentional self-harm was the tenth leading cause of death in Tennessee, a ranking that mirrors U.S. and international cause of death rankings. According to data from the Tennessee Department of Health\u2019s Vital Records office, a total of 1,017 people in Tennessee committed suicide that year.<\/p>\nStatistics point out disparities in Tennessee\u2019s diverse population and the need to understand suicide warning signs and the actions required to prevent loss of life.\u201cSuicide is painful, and the pain of this tragic and preventable cause of death not only has obvious impacts to individuals and their families but also to friends, acquaintances and whole communities,\u201d said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. \u201cA suicide can also have impact through the years on family members who never met the person whose life was ended.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the suicides in 2013 reflect an overall rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people in Tennessee, that\u2019s only part of the story. The data show more men than women and more whites than non-whites take their own lives. The most common profile of a person who commits suicide is a white male between 30 and 64 years of age. The data also show the rate of suicides fluctuates each year; the 2013 deaths were up from the 15.1 per 100,000 rate in 2009.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach of us can get better at spotting warning signs of suicide; it is preventable and as serious as a heart attack,\u201d said Dreyzehner. \u201cTake the risk factors seriously and ask, very simply and clearly, \u2018Are you suicidal?\u2019 If the answer is \u2018yes\u2019, get help, offer hope and alternatives, stay with the person and get assistance from family, friends and most importantly, from professional crisis intervention specialists. For immediate assistance, don\u2019t hesitate to call 911.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professional crisis intervention specialists can be reached by calling the Tennessee Toll-Free Statewide Crisis Telephone Line, 1-855-Crisis1, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These services and immediate assistance can also be received by calling 911.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know untreated depression is one of the primary causes for suicides,\u201d said Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner E. Douglas Varney. \u201cIt can be hard to recognize the warning signs that a person may attempt to take his or her own life. Additionally, many times people may not know there is help for someone dealing with depression or stress. It\u2019s important to understand you are not alone; there are many individuals and organizations that can provide direction and assistance for you, a friend or family member.\u201d<\/p>\n
Common suicide warning signs include feeling hopeless or helpless; being sad or depressed most of the time; experiencing strong anger; talking or writing about death; withdrawing from family and friends; acting impulsively; losing interest in previously enjoyed activities; abusing alcohol and\/or drugs; not doing well at work or school; reckless behavior; writing a will; and experiencing a change in eating and\/or sleeping habits.<\/p>\n
Tennessee\u2019s suicide rate of 15.7 in 2013 compares with 12.6 for the United States that same year.<\/p>\n
Other suicide rates in Tennessee per 100,000 in 2013 were:<\/strong><\/p>\n Suicide rates per 100,000 people for age groups in Tennessee in 2013:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHealthcare professionals and counselors can often find a remedy to help people cope effectively with life\u2019s challenges,\u201d Dreyzehner said. \u201cSometimes that involves medicine; sometimes it\u2019s conversation. The important thing is to know there are people who care and are able to help.\u201d<\/p>\n Suicide.org is a non-profit organization and website that maintains a list of additional state and national resources to help those with questions. A list of toll-free telephone numbers for assistance and services in Tennessee may be found at www.suicide.org\/hotlines\/tennessee-suicide-hotlines.html<\/a> or by calling 1.800.SUICIDE.<\/p>\n The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. TDH has facilities in all 95 counties and provides direct services for more than one in five Tennesseans annually as well as indirect services for everyone in the state, including emergency response to health threats, licensure of health professionals, regulation of health care facilities and inspection of food service establishments. Learn more about TDH services and programs at http:\/\/health.state.tn.us\/<\/a>.<<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Suicide Tenth Leading Cause of Death in Tennessee, U.S. & Internationally Nashville, TN – In 2013, intentional self-harm was the tenth leading cause of death in Tennessee, a ranking that mirrors U.S. and international cause of death rankings. According to data from the Tennessee Department of Health\u2019s Vital Records office, a total of 1,017 people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[5343,284,9557,7379,1292,261,513,9945],"class_list":["post-9573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-john-dreyzehner","tag-nashville-tn","tag-suicide","tag-tdh","tag-tdoh","tag-tennessee","tag-tennessee-department-of-health","tag-tennessee-department-of-mental-health-and-substance-abuse-service"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9573"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9574,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9573\/revisions\/9574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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About the Tennessee Department of Health<\/h3>\n