Each year, lives are lost due to suicide. Suicide is an intentional self-inflected death. This cause
of death is complex and is typically a result of many factors in a person’s life. These factors are
often referred to as risk factors. A risk factor is a condition, characteristic, or attribute that can
increase the risk of a negative outcome. Examples of suicide risk factors include: a previous
suicide attempt, access to lethal means, social isolation, lack of access of care, problem
gambling, substance use disorder, loss of a loved one (especially by suicide), and a stigma of
discussing mental health. If you would like to learn more about risk factors, I recommend the
CDC’s Risk and Protective Factors, this resource can be accessed on the CDC’s
website(www.cdc.gov).

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States and in Oregon. According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the year 2021, suicide was the 11th leading cause
of death in the United States. The CDC’s data shows that in the year 2021 there were 48,183
suicide deaths in the United States. For more information about national suicide statistics visit
www.cdc.gov. According to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), in the year 2021, suicide was
the 10th leading cause of death in Oregon. OHA’s Center for Health Statistics data shows that
893 Oregonians died by suicide in the year 2021. For more information the state level suicide
statistics visit www.oregon.gov.

The good news is that this cause of death is preventable. One way to prevent suicide is to
increase protective factors. Protective factors are a characteristic, attribute, or condition that
can decrease a negative health outcome. Protective factors include: a connection with others,
access to mental health care, access to basic needs, reduced access to lethal means, coping
strategies, and problem-solving skills. For more information about protective factors, I
recommend the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) Risk factors, Protective
Factors, and Warning Signs, this resource can be accessed on the AFSP website (www.afsp.org).

If you would like to learn more about suicide prevention, I recommend attending a Question,
Persuade, and Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper training. This training is an evidence-based suicide
prevention training that has been used worldwide. In this training participants learn about
suicide, suicide warning signs, conversations tips, and the three steps of QPR. After the
completion of the training participants will receive a certificate, QPR Institute booklet, and
other relevant prevention information.

Since the year 2020, the Tillamook Family Counseling Center (TFCC) has offered the QPR
Gatekeeper training to community members every other month (or as requested). From
September 2020-August 2023, TFCC prevention staff has offered 32 QPR Gatekeeper trainings
(29 in English and 3 in Spanish) and have trained close to 300 community members. This past
year, TFCC has begun to offer QPR Gatekeeper trainings in the Spanish language. If you would
like to learn more about this new offering, please contact Angelicao@tfcc.org. TFCC will present
a virtual English QPR Gatekeeper training on September 11th from 10-11:30AM. If you would
like to register for this training email me at Janeanek@tfcc.org.

If you are having thoughts about suicide, you are not alone, help is available. For local crisis
support call the Tillamook County 24/7 crisis support at (503)842-8201. For national support
call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800)273-
8255.

If you should have questions about this blog. Please feel free to contact Janeane at
Janeanek@tfcc.org.

AUTHOR: Janeane Krongos, Tillamook Family Counseling Center, CPS

For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.