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POPulations

Here are some of the populations we collaborate with.

Population data

Service Members, Veterans, and their Families

  • The Missouri Veteran Suicide rate is higher than the national veterans average
  • Over 76% of Missouri veteran suicides were by firearms.
  • Nationally, active service member suicide rates have increased gradually from 2011 to 2020.
  • In 2021, 70% of service member suicides were by firearms.
  • Most (over 93%) of suicides by firearm in the military involved the use of a personally owned firearm
  • About half (50%) of female military spouse suicides were by firearm, whereas 33% of the women in the U.S. population used a firearm.
  • About 62% of dependents who died by suicide were under 18 years old.
  • Male dependents accounted for about 72% of suicides deaths.
  • The most common method of suicide death among dependents was by firearm (55.1%)

First Responders

  • First responders include: law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), mobile response crisis counselors, and qualified mental health counselors who assist Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT) law enforcement officers.
  • When these first responders are called to the scene of a suicidal crisis, it is important that they know how to get the individual to help and how to talk to them about lethal means access.
  • Firearm owners are most receptive to law enforcement when receiving messages about reducing access to lethal means during a crisis.
    • They should be equipped with the knowledge required for these conversations

Faith Community

  • Key gatekeepers
    • Individuals often reach out to their faith leader for support during crises, which often include mental health challenges and substance misuse.
    • Individuals may feel more at ease speaking to their spiritual leader than a behavioral health professional due to stigma and shame
    • A broad range of community members attend a faith- based organization
  • Many faith leaders have received degrees in counseling
  • Others can expand mental health knowledge and suicide prevention skills with lethal means counseling
  • Faith is often a protective factor against suicide
  • Faith leaders will likely encounter suicide either via direct interaction, or congregants who lost a family member

Occupations at Highest Risk of Suicide

In 2021, nearly 38,000 persons of working age (16–64 years) in the United States died by suicide, which represents a 32% rate increase (13.4 per 100,000 population in 2001 to 17.8 in 2021) in just 2 decades.

  • The data showed that suicide deaths for men (28.0 per 100,000) were considerably higher than for women (7.5 per 100,000).
  • Suicide deaths were highest in these five major industry groups: 
    • Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting
    • Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
    • Construction
    • Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
    • Manufacturing/Production
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