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Photo by halfpoint/iStock |
The autumn issue of our newsletter deals with an especially somber topic: suicide. I hope that you will continue to read; I want to share how RAND Gulf States is making a difference with a unique kind of investigation. The information we find in this New Orleans-based study will ultimately help us understand why some people choose suicide and what individuals and communities can do to improve prevention.
As you might know, suicide rates, especially for men, have been increasing nationwide and particularly in Louisiana. In New Orleans, for example, there were 50 reported suicides in 2014, the last year for which we have data. In 2013, the number was only half that.
A RAND Gulf States study team is working with local partners to understand the reasons for this increase. The researchers are conducing "psychological autopsies" of New Orleans suicide victims. These are systematic post mortem investigations that include a review of the official report, as well as interviews with next of kin or peers of the decedents.
I admit that I was initially a bit skeptical when I was told that psychological autopsies entail knocking on the doors of suicide victims' families and asking them questions. But any doubt was quickly set aside as I realized three things.
First, the RAND team has deep expertise in this area. The project is led by one of the nation's foremost suicide researchers, RAND psychiatric epidemiologist, Dr. Rajeev Ramchand. Rajeev shared the project's early findings with me recently. If you knew Rajeev like I do, you'd see his rare, compassionate talent to get folks to talk about such a sensitive topic to help prevent future tragedies and sadness. Also, the project is fortunate to have as a manager Elizabeth Voigt Thornton, a community outreach expert at RAND Gulf States who lives in and is from this area.
Second, our partners bring so much to this project. RAND Gulf States often works closely with local partners who make a difference with their unique data sets, local knowledge, and special capabilities. For this project, we are collaborating with Dr. Jeffrey Rouse, the coroner for Orleans Parish, for his expertise and to collect critical local data. We are also working with Enchanté Franklin, a Forensic Social Worker, a former New Orleans Police Department officer, and current second year Ph.D. candidate at the Whitney M. Young Jr., School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University. Enchanté is the lead interviewer and has discussed some of her experiences with us.
Finally, RAND makes sensitive projects like this possible. This is a RAND-funded project, and RAND is committed to tackling questions that might be too big, complex, or new for a client to address. In this case, the possible involvement of guns precludes most federal funding that might be warranted to conduct this research.
Of course, the investigation of suicide in New Orleans sadly represents only a fraction of the national problem. But what we learn here can inform the rest of the nation about the disturbing upward trend in suicide. Also, our work here has led to new research in other places, including a new research project about suicides among law enforcement officers, which we will tell you more about in 2017.
As always, reach out to me if you have any questions about this or any projects conducted at RAND Gulf States Policy Institute.
All the best,
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Gary Cecchine
Director of Research
RAND Gulf States Policy Institute
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