Guns N’ Suicide

The Harvard School of Mental Health published the results of a study that examined the relationship between household firearms ownership and the rate of suicide (see the April 2007 issue of The Journal of Trauma). Among the 50 states in the United States, those with higher rates of household gun ownership had higher rates of suicide. Although most gun owners reportedly keep a firearm in their home for protection or self defense, 83% of gun-related deaths in these homes are the result of a suicide, often by someone other than the gun owner. More than 90% of all suicide attempts by use of firearms are successful. The higher rates of suicide among those who own guns has to do with the fact that guns are much more lethal than other methods of attempting suicide.

Where there is access to firearm the risk of suicide increases if there is situational stress. Stress often leads to depression, and depression is a leading cause of suicide. The good news is that depression is among the most treatable of psychiatric illnesses. Between 80% and 90% of people with depression respond positively to treatment, and almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms. The early recognition and treatment of depression and other psychiatric illnesses is therefore an effective way to prevent suicide.

The availability of a gun, however, makes people in stressful situations extremely vulnerable to a successful suicide attempt. The Harvard study concludes that either those who own guns lock them away with bullets stored separately from the weapon or that guns be barred from the home. The study emphatically states that people are less likely to die when guns are not available.