All Arkansans will have the skills to identify and promote mental health well-being.
SHIP Partners
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Arkansas Children’s
- AR Department of Health
- Arkansas Department of Veteran Affairs
- AR Minority Health Commission
- Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
- Suicide Prevention Partners
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock-Midsouth
Resources
Why Is This Important?
A healthy mental state is essential to overall positive health and well-being. In some cases, poor mental health may lead to suicide. Frequent mental distress is associated with smoking, physical inactivity, housing insecurity, food insecurity and insufficient sleep.
Mental health disorders and substance use disorders are the most significant risk factors for suicidal behaviors. In addition, environmental factors such as stressful life events and access to lethal means such as firearms or drugs may increase the risk of suicide. Previous suicide attempts and a family history of suicide are also important risk factors.
Suicide is when someone dies by intentionally hurting themselves. Death from suicide is the leading injury-related cause of death in Arkansas. In 2017, more than 600 Arkansans died from suicide. The most common means of suicide are from firearms, suffocation, and poisoning. The chart below shows the rates of suicide in Arkansas are consistently higher when compared to the United States.
Unfortunately, the rates of suicide in Arkansas are increasing. Over the last 10 years, the number of people who died from suicide went from 447 in 2008 to 631 in 2017.
https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/Suicide/state/ALL
https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/mental_distress
SHA 2020
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