Governor Little to declare Tuesday Suicide Prevention Day

On Tuesday, Governor Brad Little will proclaim February 26 Suicide Prevention Day at his Boise office.

As part of Suicide Prevention Day at the Capitol, Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra will accept a $25,000 check from the Suicide Prevention Action Network, according to a press release.

Suicide is a major problem nationwide, taking nearly 45,000 lives in 2016, according to the CDC.

Idaho ranks among the worst in the nation in terms of the suicide rate. The Gem State was sixth in the nation in 2016 and fifth in 2017.

The issue really hits home in Bannock County, the worst county in the state, according to Bannock County Coroner Ely Taysom.

“It is a big issue, especially considering the nationwide epidemic of opioid deaths,” Taysom said. “We have many more suicides than opioid deaths in this county.”

Taysom has been working as a coroner for two years and said that he’s seen “maybe a half a dozen opioid deaths,” but dozens of suicides.

In 2019 alone, there have been four officially declared suicides in Bannock County and Taysom expects that number to rise to seven, once some pending cases are made official.

In Taysom’s eyes, the state’s suicide issue can, in part, be attributed to mental health and drug issues. Factors he said were found in “almost all of the cases.”

In Bannock County, self-inflicted gunshot wounds are the most popular cause of death, among suicides. Taysom said it was the cause about 75 percent of the time.

“And, interestingly, that’s across the board demographically,” he said. “There is no one demographic group that is more prone to self-inflicted gunshot than others.”

Taysom said while it’s not his job to prevent suicides, he is counting on those with that responsibility to use the information he can provide to make those changes.

“I believe they are taking very positive steps in the right direction, especially with the crisis center coming into town,” he said. “That is exactly what we need, and I’m confident that I’m going to see some changes.”

Taysom said that, while he has no evidence to back it up, he does believe that talking about suicide and bringing about awareness can possibly convince people not to take that step.