SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council unveiled Wednesday a plan including nine strategies to save the lives of troubled San Diegans.
The suicide prevention action plan aims at three levels of intervention: universal, selected, and indicated. Each level has three strategies county officials will use such as outreach or assessment.
The plan was created with help from people who have tried to end their lives or those who have been impacted by suicide loss, county officials said.
Interventions work to lower the risk of suicide by making sure people have access to behavioral health services, are connected to family, friends and community and social institutions, have the skills and ability to cope and adapt to change, and have a purpose for living.
County health officials are focusing their interventions on higher-risk groups for suicide including:
- Middle-aged or older men
- Veterans
- People impacted by suicide
- People with mental or substance abuse disorders
- LGBTQ San Diegans
Suicide is leading cause of death in San Diego County, with 431 lives lost in 2016. San Diego County was the first in the state to develop a countywide Suicide Prevention Plan in 2011.
“Our goal is to create a community where everyone recognizes that they have a role to play to in suicide prevention,” said Alfredo Aguirre, director of County Behavioral Health Services. “Each of us should learn the warning signs of people considering ending their lives and encourage them to seek professional help”.
Suicide is preventable. For more information about suicide, risk factors, warning signs, how to get help, resources and training that is available, visit It’s Up to Us or call the County’s Access and Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240.
