The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network has published a new report on suicide trends and prevention efforts in Tennessee. “State of Suicide in Tennessee 2010” is intended to provide state legislators, mental health professionals, and the general public with information on the problem of suicide in our state and what is being done to prevent it.

The report includes a detailed report on suicide trends within Tennessee, both overall and for various subgroups. Suicide trends over the past several years are discussed, including a 34.2% drop in the youth (ages 10-19) suicide rate but rising rates through adulthood and midlife. The current trends are also broken down by race and gender and by individual counties. Attention is also given to the nature of non-fatal versus fatal attempts and common suicide methods.

The document also includes a summary of common suicide risk factors and an account of TSPN’s suicide prevention projects over the past five years. Special mention is given to last year’s highly successful Suicide Prevention Awareness and Educational Events project, in which eleven different events across Tennessee demonstrated not only TSPN’s statewide reach but also public support for TSPN and its suicide prevention mission.

The report concludes with a listing of suicide numbers and rates for all 95 Tennessee counties for the years 2003 to 2008.

Hard copies of this document are available upon request.  Printing was made possible thanks to generous donations by friends and family of Benjamin Walloch (1988-2010).  This report is dedicated in his memory.