BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho State Department of Education released its 2019 Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey and it's painting a picture of suicidal behaviors among the youth in Idaho.
“What we saw in the survey was that our data pertaining to youth suicide remained pretty consistent and flat from 2017 to 2019,” said State Department of Education’s Scott Phillips.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth ages 10-to-24, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Roughly 1,200 students, grades 9 through 12, from 40 Idaho school districts completed this year's survey.
“Nearly 22 percent have considered suicide at some point in the last year,” Phillips said. “What that tells us is that we have a lot of work to do.”
He goes on to say, State Superintendent Sherri Ybarra is asking for a million dollars in the current budget request to help provide extra training for educators.
“That training is going to look at prevention, intervention and postvention preparation for schools,” Phillips said.
The survey results come as the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline is looking for extra volunteers.
“Consistently Idaho is in the top 10 per capita for suicides,” George Austin, Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline said.
He told KTVB, the hotline receives a little more than 40 calls a day.
“Typically, we have about 80 volunteers, but where we really want to be is closer to 100,” Austin said.
The Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline began seven years ago. Austin says Idaho's access to firearms and location are some of the reasons why Idaho is among the states with the highest suicide rates.
“We are a state that is largely rural so getting to connections and getting to support is harder, and we have the fewest per capita for psychiatrist for any state,” Austin said.
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The survey measured seven categories of youth behavior. Bullying and tobacco use were also among those categories and both were at a 10-year-low, according to Phillips.
If you need to speak with someone at the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline, the number is (800) 273-8255.
