In guidance issued in February, the agency outlined a recommended three-step process for lead agencies to respond to a suspected cluster of suicides.
Suicide clusters are groups of suicides or suicide attempts that occur closer together in time, space or both than would normally be expected in a community, according to the CDC’s report. These events are rare, according to the CDC.
Here are three things to know from the CDC’s guidance:
- When a lead agency receives notification of a suspected suicide cluster, it should convene a committee to investigate the incident and determine if a formal investigation is warranted.
- If the committee decides to convene an investigation, it should develop a case definition, time frame, and identify data sources for the suspected cluster. Then, it should select statistical and analytic methods to determine if the identified cases constitute a cluster.
- If the committee identifies a cluster, it should develop a plan for investigation. The committee should issue a report to guide community public health response to prevent future cases.
Read more here.
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