Connecticut Receives $3.5 Million To Enhance Suicide Prevention Activities; Statewide Plan Released

Connecticut has been awarded a five-year grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to enhance a range of suicide prevention activities coordinated among several state agencies. The grant, awarded to the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), will run through August 31, 2025 and will be a joint effort between DPH, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), and UConn Health.

While the grant will work to prevent suicide across all age ranges, it will focus on several populations in Connecticut that are being disproportionately impacted by suicide or attempted suicide:

• middle-aged adults (ages 35-65)

• men with serious mental illness or substance use disorder

• adolescents and young adults (ages 10-24)

“This grant will enable us to enhance our suicide prevention efforts and link those impacted to appropriate treatment,” Governor Ned Lamont in making the annoucement. “Mental health issues continue to be a growing concern across our country, impacting people of all backgrounds, and we have strong partnerships in Connecticut among many organizations to connect people to adequate support. I strongly encourage anyone in need of help to call 2-1-1 any time and speak to trained staff for assistance.”

The grant will also provide linkage to the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board, the statewide suicide prevention coalition tri-chaired by DMHAS, DCF, and the Connecticut Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The board is a statewide coalition comprised of multiple state and community providers, schools, researchers, and survivors of suicide focused on preventing suicide and providing support to survivors of suicide death and attempts statewide.

 It serves as the state’s coordinating body for suicide prevention efforts and recently released its Suicide Prevention Plan 2025 (PLAN 2025), which serves as the blueprint for the state’s suicide prevention efforts for the next five years. The plan is available at www.preventsuicidect.org/preventionplan. 

 The 100-page plan was developed by the CT Suicide Advisory Board (CTSAB) chaired by the CT Department of Children and Families (DCF), the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), and the CT Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. All are committed to implementing the goals and objectives of the PLAN 2025; the Advisory Board’s goal is “to eliminate suicide by instilling hope across the lifespan.” The report references the growing public concern and interest in suicide prevention, noting that “from 2015 through 2019, more than 29,000 Connecticut residents were trained in suicide prevention and intervention.”

"The Jordan Porco Foundation (JPF) will continue to work with the CT Suicide Advisory Board, and the State agencies, to support the 2025 plan and the CDC grant, with particular focus on the at-risk adolescent and young adult population, ages 10-24," said Marisa Giarnella-Porco, Co-Founder & CEO of the Jordan Porco Foundation.  The Hartford-based national organization, whose highly regarded programs are noted in the report, focuses on preventing suicide in the high school, college, and college entry student population. Through awareness, education, and innovative programming, JPF is challenging stigma around mental health and help-seeking, creating open conversations about the prevalence of suicide and mental health issues in the young adult population, and saving lives.

“Mental Health America’s 2021 State of Mental Health in America report shows that youth mental health conditions are on the rise and suicidal ideation is increasing in adults” said Luis Perez, President and CEO, Mental Health Connecticut. “There are great efforts being made to break down the stigma of experiencing suicidal thoughts, such as the federal bill to create the ‘988 hotline’ and the great work of the CT Suicide Advisory Board and others. Now, more than ever, we must make time to check in with each other and be ready to support someone who is struggling and needs access to services.”

According to the American Institute of Stress, nearly 83% of U.S. workers experience work-related stress. This stress causes approximately 1 million employees to miss work every day and can lead to drops in productivity. In Connecticut, on average, someone dies by suicide every day of the year, according to officials. 

“Between stressful deadlines and symptoms of burnout, it can be difficult to balance your mental health and stay on top of workload. Even if you aren’t personally struggling, you may have a colleague who is,” noted a recent newsletter from the National Council for Behavioral Health, focused on the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.  “It’s vital that you recognize how you are feeling and take time to protect your mental health with self-care. Self-care is an important tool to help manage symptoms of burnout and regain physical, spiritual, mental and emotional balance.”

“Many of our fellow Americans are struggling with depression as a result of job loss, social isolation, and a disruption in normalcy that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused,” the members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation – including Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and Representatives John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes, and Jahana Hayes – said in a joint statement. “This grant will help those who are in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress receive appropriate services. As a delegation, we will continue to fight to ensure Connecticut agencies are provided with the financial assistance to help those in need throughout this pandemic.”

Connecticut has one of the lowest rates of suicide in the United States at 10.5 deaths per 100,000 people, and is ranked 45th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. On average, 403 Connecticut residents died annually of suicide between 2015 and 2019, which is a 14 percent increase from the annual average of 351 residents between 2010 and 2014.

In 2018, the CDC reported that more than 48,000 people died by suicide in the United States. The unique stigma and shame associated with suicide keeps people from getting the support they need to prevent it or address their grief when they have experienced a loss. Additionally, the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic both have significantly increased individuals’ risk of suicide due to the exacerbation of shared risk factors.

“Many people are having tough times right now due to the pandemic which is not only a public health crisis, but has disrupted nearly all areas of our pre-COVID lives,” Acting DPH Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford said. “Many have been forced to work at home, many have lost their jobs causing financial distress, and the pandemic itself has increased anxiety about health in general. Thousands of children are trying their best to learn remotely, and the loss of the daily school structure and routine causes stress and anxiety both for children and parents. The awarding of this grant could not have come at a better time for Connecticut, and we will make sure to put it to good use with our partners in state government.”

In addition, the Governor’s Workforce Council, in a wide-ranging report released in late October, pointed to behavioral health as an area that requires renewed attention, stating that “An opportunity exists to increase the workforce participation rate of this population,” indicating that 60% of individuals with serious mental illness want to work but only 20% are employed.” Behavioral health is one of many barriers that prevent individuals from entering the workforce, the report explained, calling for state action to expand access to behavioral health services.

“Investing in our emotional safety, in parallel with physical safety, should be our top priority,” Perez added. “The trends of suicidal ideation and mental health conditions were on the rise before the 2020 pandemic. In working with businesses and other groups in the community over the past year, MHC has learned that education on the health impacts of isolation and feeling disoriented and disconnected is a vital first step to addressing emotional distress and identifying when we need outside help.”

Earlier this month at the federal level, as Perez noted, the National Suicide Designation Act of 2020 was approved.  It establishes in law, 9-8-8 as a universal number for mental health crises and suicide prevention, effective in mid-2022. The law enables states to enact fees similar to those in place for 9-1-1 that will support the need for expanded services at the local level to receive and respond to crisis calls.

In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing that more than one in ten adults in the U.S. had seriously considered suicide in the thirty days prior to the survey and four in ten adults experienced a behavioral health condition, like anxiety or depression.  Mental health advocates have noted that a 24/7 crisis hotline is the gateway to any crisis system and is a core service that will connect people in crisis to mobile crisis services, crisis stabilization programs and peer support services.

Currently in Connecticut, more information regarding suicide prevention - or if you or someone you know is in crisis - call 2-1-1 or visit www.preventsuicidect.org.