Idaho
Doctor studies suicide to save lives – East Idaho News
Every day, Dr. Matt Larsen sees the devastating effects of suicide. In his five years working as a psychiatrist at the Behavioral Health Center (BHC) at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, he treated patients every day who had attempted suicide. Now he does the same in his outpatient clinic, and his daily appointment schedule is consistently, sadly, full.
An Idaho native, Dr. Larsen returned to his home state after finishing medical school and earning his degree in psychiatry. In addition to entering professional practice, he started volunteering with Community Suicide Prevention, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing suicide in southeast Idaho.
After several years of hard work, advocacy and outreach, Dr. Larsen was discouraged that suicide rates in Idaho continued to surge upward. In 2022, 444 Idahoans died by suicide – a rate of 22.2 per 100,000 people. Even more alarming, the state’s suicide rate increased by 11.9% between 2021 and 2022 alone. Dr. Larsen decided to find out why.
A first-of-its-kind study
While extensive data exists about survivors of suicide attempts, very little is known about those who die by suicide. To address this gap, Dr. Larsen and his research team – Dr. Cassandra Sauther, Dr. Ryan Sauther, and Justin Solomon – developed a new study approach.
“Most suicide research focuses on survivors,” explains Dr. Larsen. “But we needed to understand more about those who didn’t survive. That meant talking to their families.”
The team created a comprehensive 77-question survey covering everything from demographics and employment to mental health, substance use, and access to lethal means. For three months, they gathered information from families who had lost loved ones to suicide in Southeast Idaho.
Some of their results were surprising. Read the medical journal here.
Challenging common assumptions
“Our study shows that nearly 80% of those who died (of suicide) never announced their intentions.”
“Everyone has a picture in their mind of who is typically at risk for suicide,” said Dr. Larsen. “You probably think of lonely, isolated teens with mental health or substance abuse issues. But in our study results, the group most likely to die by suicide was white middle-aged men.”
Specifically, the study revealed that those who died by suicide in Southeast Idaho were:
- Predominantly white (95%) and male (77%)
- Usually had no previous mental health hospitalization (76%)
- Had ready access to firearms (66%)
- Did not alert others or seek help (79%)
- Had previously attempted suicide (55%)
- Were experiencing relationship stress (55%) or legal issues (54%)
A new direction for prevention
“These findings suggest we need to shift our prevention strategy a bit,” Dr. Larsen notes. “While we must continue supporting those who express suicidal thoughts, we can’t focus exclusively on that group. Our study shows that nearly 80% of those who died never announced their intentions.”
Another significant finding concerns access to lethal means, particularly firearms. While securing firearms didn’t prevent all suicide attempts, it did lead 22% of people to choose less lethal methods. This is crucial because 82.5% of firearm attempts are fatal, compared to just 1.5% of overdose attempts.
“Therefore,” says Dr. Larsen, “if we can reduce the number of firearm attempts, we should be able to reduce the number of deaths, even if they still attempt suicide by other means.”
Practical applications
The key is recognizing risk factors and reaching out before crisis points. The research points to several practical steps for suicide prevention:
- Increased awareness among lawyers, law enforcement, and medical professionals who interact with white males facing relationship or legal challenges.
- Community education about recognizing risk factors, particularly during periods of personal crisis.
- Focus on safe storage and reduced access to firearms during high-risk periods.
- Enhanced support systems for individuals going through relationship changes or legal difficulties.
“We don’t really need a new law or new regulations. Instead, we need to get this information to lawyers, judges, law enforcement officers and doctors – the professionals most likely to interact with white men who are struggling with legal or relationship issues.”
Community awareness can help too.
“Be aware of the professional family man down the street who is going through a divorce or has other major legal or financial issues,” advises Dr. Larsen. “Guys, if you have a friend who is going through a rough patch, take him out, ask him how he’s doing.
“If he’s struggling, offer to hold on to his gun or ammo for a while. I know that can be an awkward conversation to have. But if you tell them that you are really worried for their safety and that it would help you sleep better if you knew their gun was safely locked away, then they’re more likely to say OK.”
Moving forward: a new study for the whole state
Because the suicide rate in Idaho as whole has increased by 43.2% over the past 20 years, Dr. Larsen is conducting a new, statewide study. Using lessons learned from the first study, his team has trimmed the questionnaire down from 77 to just 20 questions.
He hopes to get a larger study group and is looking for participants. If they feel comfortable doing so, friends and loved ones (18 years or older) of someone who died by suicide in the state of Idaho are invited to fill out the questionnaire.
If you or someone you know is struggling, resources are available:
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PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.
The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.
Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.
In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.
Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.
A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.
State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.
“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.
Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.
Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.
Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
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