Section 4098.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The Surgeon General of the United States has described suicide prevention as a serious public health priority, and has called upon each state to develop a strategy for suicide prevention using a public health approach.

(b) In 1996, 3,401 Californians lost their lives to suicide, an average of nine residents per day. It is estimated that there are between 75,000 and 100,000 suicide attempts in California every year. 11 percent of all suicides in the nation take place in California.

(c) Adolescents are far more likely to attempt suicide than their older California counterparts. Data indicate that there are 100 attempts for every adolescent suicide completed. In 1996, 207 California youth died by suicide. Using this estimate, there were likely more than 20,000 suicide attempts made by California adolescents, and approximately 20 percent of all the estimated suicide attempts occurred in California.

(d) Of all of the violent deaths associated with schools nationwide since 1992, 14 percent were suicides.

(e) Homicide and suicide rank as the third and fifth leading causes of death for youth, respectively. Both are preventable. While the death rates for unintentional injuries decreased by more than 40 percent between 1979 and 1996, the death rates for homicide and suicide increased for youth. Evidence is growing in terms of the links between suicide and other forms of violence. This provides compelling reasons for broadening the state's scope in identifying risk factors for self-harmful behavior. The number of estimated youth suicide attempts; and the growing concerns of youth violence can best be addressed through the implementation of successful gatekeeper training programs to identify and refer youth at risk for self-harmful behavior.

(f) The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) conservatively estimates that the lives of at least six persons related to or connected to individuals who attempt or complete suicide are impacted. Using these estimates, in 1996, more than 600,000 Californians, or 1,644 individuals per day, struggled to cope with the impact of suicide.

(g) Restriction of access to lethal means significantly reduces the number of successful suicides.

(h) Actual incidents of suicide attempts are expected to be higher than reported because attempts not requiring medical attention are less likely to be reported. The underreporting of suicide completion is also likely since suicide classification involves conclusions regarding the intent of the deceased. The stigma associated with suicide is also likely to contribute to underreporting.

(i) Without interagency collaboration and support for proven, community-based, culturally competent suicide prevention and intervention programs, occurrences of suicide are likely to rise.

(Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 93, Sec. 44.5. Effective July 7, 2000.)