Health inequities in suicidal behavior and addressing the issues
Alex Crosby, MD, MPH
Morehouse University
ABSTRACT:
Self-directed violence which includes fatal and nonfatal suicidal behavior, is a major public health problem in the United States and the rest of the world. In the most recent U.S. data, suicide ranked as the 10th leading cause of death, accounted for over 128,000 hospitalizations and almost 500,000 emergency department visits. Health inequities in suicidal behavior by socio-demographics have been partially documented for many years however more can be done to identify the patterns so that appropriate prevention efforts can be designed and implemented. This session will describe the public health approach, how it can be used to identify inequities then prevent suicidal behavior.
3 Key points/Learning Objectives
Define the public health approach
Characterize some patterns of inequity in suicidal behavior.
Describe why data is important for decision-making and how to use it
