people; and
WHEREAS, The suicide rate in Pennsylvania increased by 37%
between 1999 and 2018; and
WHEREAS, Nearly two and a half times as many individuals die
by suicide in Pennsylvania annually than by homicide; and
WHEREAS, The total deaths to suicide in Pennsylvania in 2018
reflect a total of 37,933 years of potential life lost before 65
years of age; and
WHEREAS, Due to the stigma, it is suspected that suicide
generally is underreported; and
WHEREAS, Prevention, education, advocacy, public policy and
community support are keys to addressing suicide stigma; and
WHEREAS, The sensitive use of suicide-related language is
also essential to eliminating suicide stigma; and
WHEREAS, The term "committed suicide" implies a level of
criminality while "completed suicide" implies earlier attempts
when there may have been none; and
WHEREAS, Both terms perpetuate the stigma associated with
suicide and are strongly discouraged; and
WHEREAS, Using the word "successful" or "failed" to describe
suicide is also discouraged; and
WHEREAS, "Died by suicide" or "died of suicide" as well as
"suicide death" and "fatal suicide behavior" are recommended
language; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge Commonwealth
agencies and the unified judicial system to adopt and utilize
sensitive language related to suicide in regulations, policies,
reports and other documents in print or electronic format; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That, for purposes of this resolution, sensitive
20210HR0122PN1947 - 2 -
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