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Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

nytimes.com

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Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#61

Post by euleriancon »

themafia wrote: post #54
nyanmatt wrote: post #27

I don’t see how. Have you ever tried calling one of these lines in a suicide emergency? Things I’ve learned in California: - an ambulance will not be dispatched unless you physically witness someone trying to kill themselves - otherwise, they send the police - the police arrive without training and severely escalate the situation - the person having an emergency will be taken into custody and stripped of rights until…

A fact I've noticed is that suicide rates are higher in areas with lower population density. For example, Alaska's suicide rate is 4x what New York's rate is. Perhaps just human connection, even momentarily, is enough to break the pattern of behavior that has lead to the ideation. Also worth noting that suicide rates among the elderly are higher than they are for anyone other than teens. If you have someone you love…

An alternative explanation is that cold places with long winters are depressing, and because they are depressing fewer people want to live there.

Alaskan winters are hard regardless of how many friends you have.

Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#62

Post by Jtsummers »

sandy_coyote wrote: post #21
Alupis wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

What is this assumption based on? It sounds political. Are LGBTQ people at a higher risk for suicide? Could hotline staff reduce suicide attempts with special training? Seems like you could measure this. Thinking about other groups with a higher risk--veterans, abuse survivors, gambling addicts--are there suicide prevention programs for these groups and are they effective?

> Thinking about other groups with a higher risk--veterans, abuse survivors, gambling addicts--are there suicide prevention programs for these groups and are they effective?

For veterans in the US, at least, there are specific programs targeting them since they do have a disproportionately high level of suicides and suicide attempts compared to the general population.

Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#63

Post by JumpCrisscross »

Alupis wrote: post #7
ceejayoz wrote: post #5

About a year ago: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/trump-shuts-down-lg... > The Trump administration on Thursday afternoon officially terminated the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ Youth Specialized Services program, which gave callers under age 25 the option to speak with LGBTQ-trained counselors. As with the USAID cuts, this killed people.

[flagged]

> A national hotline that can handle anyone is clearly the right way

The data suggest otherwise [1].

Which makes sense. “For LGBTQ youth, risk factors such as bullying, abuse, negative family treatment, as well as negative emotions caused by anti-LGBTQ legislation have also been identified” [2]. If you’re in a community that’s tolerating all of that, your trust in generic institutions will be low.

> any more than Black or Asian or Indian cases

If a population is disproportionately committing suicide, they should be disproportionately resourced. “Native Americans and non-Hispanic White Americans” have “the highest suicide rate in the United States” [3].

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30109965/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_among_LGBTQ_people

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_the_United_States#S...

Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#64

Post by throw0101d »

bombcar wrote: post #3
marojejian wrote: post #2

gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/science/988-youth-suicide... I bet there is so much more we could do to reduce suicides, which are a massively big problem. I wish we paid as much attention to suicide as we do to very rare mass shootings, which kill a tiny fraction of the people.

It's important to remember that the majority of gun deaths are suicides. It's also important to remember that any blocker between a potential suicide victim and the weapon of choice reduces rates greatly. A gun locked in a safe where the potential suicide knows the code - reduces rates.

> It's also important to remember that any blocker between a potential suicide victim and the weapon of choice reduces rates greatly. A gun locked in a safe where the potential suicide knows the code - reduces rates.

RAND found that minimum age requirements and child-access prevention laws reduced suicides and unintentional injuries/deaths and violent crime:

* https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/analysis/child-acce...

* https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/analysis/minimum-ag...

* https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy.html

Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#65

Post by mystraline »

marojejian wrote: post #2

gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/science/988-youth-suicide... I bet there is so much more we could do to reduce suicides, which are a massively big problem. I wish we paid as much attention to suicide as we do to very rare mass shootings, which kill a tiny fraction of the people.

So yeah, why not?

Choosing to end thyself IS the penultimate "my body, my choice".

We have immediate "no money, lost job, destitute" (insert temporary issue). And we have chronic, everpresent, or terminal problem.

We could fix the first one, but socially we choose not to. Either way, we should have the right of bodily autonomy.

I guess the american answer is, for a suicide help call, show up with pigs with guns, and shoot them for disorderly conduct?

Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#66

Post by JumpCrisscross »

seattle_spring wrote: post #24
Alupis wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

That decision should be left to the people who study and understand psychology, not laymen, podcast hosts, and politicians.

Everyone is paying for these resources. It’s fair for everyone to understand why they’re worth it.

Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#67

Post by umpalumpaaa »

A while ago I was seriously sick + in a hospital (for a few months). The doctors told me that I won't be able to resume my regular job (software engineer). At the same time I was in a lot of pain – unable to sit, walk, stand. It was not really clear how it all would end.

I got deeply depressed and just wanted to die. The pain was just too much - even with controlled pain medication in a hospital setup.

I called the German crisis hotline almost every night and they were usually very very helpful. They listened - sometimes for 1-2 hours. In 90% of my calls I felt way better after calling them. They really are well trained and some of the personalities I talked to were pretty impressive and interesting… They have seen a lot…

Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#68

Post by JumpCrisscross »

ryandrake wrote: post #58
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> how we try to prevent people from shooting themselves by sending people with guns to help them People with guns are still people. Having anyone there will reduce harm in more cases than it escalates. Suicide is usually an impulse a lonely person who is otherwise perfectly sane carries out in the absence of intervention.

Replace the phrase "people with guns" with "institutional violence" because that's what the police are. When police are called to the scene, the intention of the caller is violence, not to help. If the intention was help, then actual helpers would be called instead.

> the intention of the caller is violence, not to help

This is mostly nonsense. Most cases where wellness checks result in a tragic outcome did not stem from the caller having violent intentions.

> If the intention was help, then actual helpers would be called instead

I believe clinician-led wellness checks are more effective than police-led ones [1]. But it’s untrue that police-led interventions are unhelpful. Not every person or community has a healthcare contact who will personally conduct a check. If the choice is between no check and a cop, you’ll save lives with the latter.

[1] https://www.proquest.com/openview/5504a2f3d69ee782daddda0ce1...

Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#69

Post by hirvi74 »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #56
hirvi74 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find something darkly depressing and comedic about how we try to prevent people from shooting themselves by sending people with guns to help them.

> how we try to prevent people from shooting themselves by sending people with guns to help them People with guns are still people. Having anyone there will reduce harm in more cases than it escalates. Suicide is usually an impulse a lonely person who is otherwise perfectly sane carries out in the absence of intervention.

> People with guns are still people

No one is questioning that police are people.

> Having anyone there will reduce harm in more cases than it escalates

That was never the point I was arguing against. I was arguing against which people are there.

> Suicide is usually an impulse a lonely person who is otherwise perfectly sane carries out in the absence of intervention.

I do not believe that in the slightest. There is an array of causes from physical illnesses, mental illnesses, spiritual beliefs, political beliefs, to even cultural beliefs. Sure, loneliness can contribute in some cases, but it does not hold a candle to conditions like mood disorders, psychotic disorders, substance abuse, etc..

Re: Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline

#70

Post by keybored »

umpalumpaaa wrote: post #67

A while ago I was seriously sick + in a hospital (for a few months). The doctors told me that I won't be able to resume my regular job (software engineer). At the same time I was in a lot of pain – unable to sit, walk, stand. It was not really clear how it all would end. I got deeply depressed and just wanted to die. The pain was just too much - even with controlled pain medication in a hospital setup. I called the G…

I’m glad that it helped and that it worked for such a seemingly somatic issue. I wouldn’t have thought that.
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