According to Alaskan state records, smaller communities and areas of higher latitude saw a dramatic increase in suicide rates from 2003 to 2011.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Section of Epidemiology states that for every 5-degree increase in northern latitude, or 345 miles, suicide rates increased by 18 percent. New research suggests that lack of daylight has little to do with Alaska’s suicide rates, and more to do with how isolated the northern communities are.

“This is the first step for us in Alaska in terms of knowing where to place emphasis,” said Deborah Hull-Jilly, program manager at the Section of Epidemiology Injury Surveillance Program.

These new findings help dismiss the common notion that suicide rates peak in Alaska’s dark winter season. This recent study proves if there are any such seasonal patterns, suicide rates actually increase in late spring and early summer.

“Off the road cities and hub cities were factors in our statistics that were more significant than others,” Hull-Jilly said.

Over 70 percent of Alaska is not accessible by road, and rural villages without road connections had the highest suicide rates. In these isolated areas, for every 5-degree increase in latitude, the suicide rate increased by 52 percent.

Many Natives live in rural areas, nowhere near large cities that are home to mental health facilities and community support. Alaska Natives, who make up less than 18 percent of the state’s population, have a suicide rate that is more than double the non-Native population.

“There are villages that are completely remote from the rest of the world,” said Suhaila Brunelle, who worked in an Anchorage mental health center for 10 years. “In Anchorage we have resources at our fingertips, but not everyone understands what it’s like to live in the villages.”

Brunelle assisted a suicidal 13-year-old boy from Bethel, a city only accessible by air and river.

“If he didn’t come to Anchorage, he would have never received treatment,” Brunelle said. “I can imagine how isolated the northern villages must feel, it plays a big part.”

While researchers have statistics, numbers do not explain why people harm themselves. In previous years, suicide rate studies were based solely on limited death certificate records.

In an effort to collect more accurate data, the Alaska Violent Death Reporting System (AKVDRS) currently looks at three sources: medical examinations, death certificates and information from law enforcement.

“We noted early on, data wasn’t collected consistently across the state, especially in isolated communities,” Hull-Jilly said. “Investigators weren’t asking the same questions. We need to educate people who are documenting these deaths.”

Hull-Jilly’s team found that cause of death was “undetermined” on many death certificates. Only after further examination, investigators would conclude that the cause of death was suicide.

“Sometimes we learn of a suicide note, or a close friend’s new statement to investigators,” Hull-Jilly said. “We don’t close cases because we often receive helpful tips. Now that we have this information, where do we need to look more in depth?”

The latest statistics help researchers and mental health workers know where to invest their resources, focusing on rural and isolated communities.

“There needs to be more of a focus on mental health,” Brunelle said. “I personally don’t know of anyone that was in treatment that committed suicide.”

Sawsan Morrar is a guest writer for ANN.