b'|Suicide Prevention Workplan - Los Angleles |55|56 |Suicide Prevention Workplan - Los Angleles |57Reducing access to lethal means of Suicidalmeans is driven by multiple factors. These include the lethality, accessibility, and Self-Directed Violence (S-SDV) for a person atacceptability of the method. Eliminating or reducing access to a particular method during a risk of suicide is one the best empiricallySuicides incrisis creates lifesaving time and opportunity for intervention. These dynamics are critical supported methods for reducing suicides.because crises involving suicidal behavior tend to be transient, and characterized by extreme LA County byambivalence about the wish to die or stay alive. Research shows that when a persons Means safety refers to actions to reduce orattempt is thwarted, he or she does not go on to die by suicide at other locations, times, or eliminate access to lethal means for individuals thatMeans, 2016 by other methods. As such, the placement of time between thoughts of suicide and a are experiencing thoughts of suicide.It includespersons ability to obtain lethal means for an attempt represents a practical, lifesaving efforts to reduce access to specific objects (e.g.,approach to prevent suicide.medications, firearms, sharp objects) as well asDeaths% RateExcerpt from Striving for Zero, Californias Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention 2020-2025 (6)locations (e.g. bridges, parking structures) that could be used in suicide attempts.Firearm293 36%2.7 Reducing a suicidal persons access to lethal means of suicide: Strategies that reduce access to lethal means havePoisoning9311%0.9demonstrated effectiveness across various interventions and in multiple countries in reducingSuffocation 304 37%2.9suicides. Numerous studies have indicated thatSubstitutionwhen lethal means are made less available or lessOther125 15%1.2 Suicide crisis deadly, suicide rates by that method decline, and/Unknown AttempterFewerpasses for frequently suicide rates overall decline. There is nosubstitutesattemptsmany Suicide rate evidence suggesting that an individual will seekData Source:Suicides Among Los Angeles CountyMeansanother methodprove fatal The acute perioddropsResidents, 2012-2016, prepared by Los Angeles Countyrestriction on average,in which alternative means. Department of Public Health, Division of ChronicsubstitutedDrop in overall Disease & Injury Prevention, Injury and ViolenceHighly lethal,methods aresomeone willsuicide rate is There are a few key principles that should bePrevention Program, 6/7/2019 commonlyless lethal attempt is oftendriven by used suicideshort. Delaysdecline in rate understood to support efforts around means safetymethod iscan save some,of suicide by for suicide prevention: made lessDelay but not all lives. the restrictedMost crises are short-term, therefore putting time and space between someone andavailable orAttempter is89% - 95% ofmethodlethal means can reduce risk of suicide and substitution. less lethal temporarily orattempters do permanentlynot go on to dieThe means that someone chooses for a suicide attempt is not necessarily related todelayed by suicidetheir level of intent to die. Interviews with suicide attempt survivors showed no distinction in intent to die based upon the means used.People often assume that if one means is taken away, that the person will simply utilizeSource:Barber CW & Miller another method in a suicide attempt. However, research suggests that most individualsMJ. (2014) (69).have a preference for one given means and are unlikely to substitute means if one is removed. If substitution of means does occur, the substituted method is likely less lethal. As such, the placement of time betweenSince 70% of attempt survivors will not attempt suicide again in their lifetime and 90% of people who attempt suicide will not go on to die by suicide, if access is restricted tothoughts of suicide and a persons ability to the most lethal means during a first attempt that individual is unlikely to die by suicide. obtain lethal means for an attempt represents a While reducing access to lethal means is a central element in global and national suicide prevention plans, it remains poorly understoodand under-utilized for reducingpractical, lifesaving approach to prevent suicide.suicide in California. Suicidal behavior is often method-specific, and a persons choice ofStriving for Zero, California Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention 2020-2025 (6).Draft 3.3.2020 Not For Distribution Draft 3.3.2020 Not For Distribution'