Community Corner

Suicide Attempt Rates in CT Higher Than National Average [Update]

Actual suicide rates in the state, however, are among the lowest in the nation.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Connecticut had the second-highest rate of suicide attempts in the U.S. among adults 18 and older in 2008 and 2009, according the Hartford Courant.

The study, which examined suicidal behavior state-by-state, revealed that one percent of Connecticut residents surveyed attempted suicide within that period compared to the 0.5 percent national average.

The state's actual suicide rate in 2007, however, was 7.7 people per 100,000, which is the third lowest in the nation, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

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Earlier this month, Fairfield County residents participated in the second annual SPOKES charity ride, which benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). SPOKES, which stands for Suicide Prevention: Our Knowledge Erases Stigma, was founded by Trumbull resident and former New Canaanite Jeremy Brittain, whose sister Sarah attempted suicide in 2009.


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