Frontier Surveillance—Suicide in Alaska

INTRODUCTION: Alaska had the second highest suicide rate in the nation in 2010, the most recent year for which national comparison data are currently available. During 2007–2011, suicide was the leading cause of death among Alaska residents aged 15–34 and 55–74 years and the sixth leading cause of death overall in Alaska. In order to better understand the characteristics and circumstances, the Alaska Section of Epidemiology partnered with key agencies spanning an area one-fifth the size of the contiguous United States (571,951 sq. miles) to document facts and factors leading up to and culminating in violent death.  This presentation will provide information on suicide epidemiology data from the Alaska Violent Death Reporting System (AKVDRS), an active surveillance system that collects risk factor data concerning all violent deaths that meet the National Violent Death Reporting System case definitions

METHODS: AKVDRS data were analyzed from 2007-2011. Deaths were counted if the decedent was fatally injured in Alaska. Crude rates were calculated using Alaska Department of Labor’s population estimates data.

RESULTS: During 2007–2011, 771 suicides were recorded in AKVDRS, yielding an annual average of 154 suicide deaths (range: 142–169), and accounting for 62% of all violent deaths in Alaska. The average annual crude suicide rate was 25.8 per 100,000 persons aged ≥10 years. Crude rates by sex and age were highest among males aged 20–24 years and ≥85 years, and among females aged 20–24 (73.9, 112.6, and 17.0 per 100,000 persons, respectively). Rates by race were highest among American Indian/Alaska Native people (49.0 per 100,000 persons). Rates by region were highest in the Northern and Southwestern regions (67.8 and 53.5 per 100,000 persons, respectively).

 CONCLUSIONS: While Alaska’s suicide rate has not declined, it has reached a “plateau” necessitating continued surveillance and in-depth analysis.