Warning Signs of a Potential Suicide Risk

The day after the man committed suicide within 10 minutes of entering a local jail, the jailers and police officers there were discussing the incident. At that point, one of the arresting officers mentioned that, during the drive to the police station, the inmate had said something to the effect of “have to kill myself.

Obviously, for a person to verbalize the need to kill himself or herself is a warning sign. Taking suicide threats seriously is a fundamental lesson in suicide prevention.

Understanding risk factors also helps to identify individuals who are potentially suicidal. For instance, 60% to 90% of all custodial suicides are associated with substance abuse disorders, depression, and other forms of mental illness. Half of the people who die by suicide suffer from major depression.

Approximately half of the inmates routinely housed in local jails have mental health problems, which means the risk of suicide is elevated. About 75% of inmates with mental health issues simultaneously have a substance abuse disorder. In local detention facilities, about 29.7% of the inmates have major depressive disorders. Research conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that approximately 10% of the individuals incarcerated in local jails reported having stayed for at least one night in a mental institution prior to being arrested.

To learn more, see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, and Part 11 of this series.

This website seeks to help Texas inmates in municipal and county jails by providing resources that could be of benefit. Making insinuations that institutions or persons have been involved in misdeeds is not intended.

–Guest Contributor