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Suicide attempt rates decrease following Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Suicide Prevention program

Study findings in JAMA Psychiatry show greater reductions in suicide attempt rates among youth in counties that implemented the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Suicide Prevention program compared with those who did not.

“Suicide prevention programs supported by the [Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Suicide Prevention] program generally have been comprehensive in scope and multifaceted. Their activities have included education and mental health awareness programs, screening activities, gatekeeper training events, improved community partnerships and linkages to service, programs for suicide survivors and crisis hotlines,” Lucas Godoy Garraza, MA, of the Public Health Division at ICF International in New York, and colleagues wrote. “Because of this diversity of activities, the specific mechanisms of action may differ across sites but likely include some combination of increased awareness of suicide and suicide prevention resources, increased identification and referral of youths at risk, and greater availability of support for these youths.”

To assess potential reductions in suicide attempts among youth following implementation of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Suicide Prevention (GLS) program, researchers conducted an observational study of community-based suicide prevention programs for youth across 46 states and 12 tribal communities. They compared 466 counties that implemented the GLS program between 2006 and 2009 with 1,161 counties that did not implement the GLS program but shared preintervention characteristics. There were an estimated 57,000 respondents in the GLS group and 84,000 in the control group. Researchers discerned suicide attempt rates following GLS program implementation among individuals aged 16 to 23 years from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

There were significantly lower suicide attempt rates among youth in counties that implemented the GLS program compared with counties that did not implement the program, with 4.9 fewer attempts per 1,000 youth (P = .003).

More than 79,000 suicide attempts may have been avoided following program implementation during the study period, according to researchers.

There were no significant differences in suicide attempt rates among individuals aged older than 23 years and researchers found no evidence of longer-term differences in suicide attempt rates.

A few limitations occurred that affected study findings, according to researchers. Information on suicide attempts was only available for a portion of the target population and therefore researchers were unable to examine effects on younger age groups.

Further, data for lifetime history and number of suicide attempts was unavailable and consequently researchers could not determine if the GLS program differentially affected youth with different suicidal behavior histories.

“Despite the limitations already noted, our study contributes to the evidence base regarding the effectiveness of comprehensive suicide prevention programs in reducing the number of deaths by suicide and the number of nonlethal suicide attempts. These findings have significant implications for public health policy — specifically, suicide prevention programs and the ways to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with suicidal behaviors — and suggest that community-based programs (such as the GLS program) provide a pathway toward fewer suicide attempts and deaths,” the researchers concluded. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: Godoy Garraza reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all authors’ relevant financial disclosures.