AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Department of Criminal Justice recently released some alarming data. Researchers found that the number of inmates who attempted suicide has doubled in four years.

In 2013, state prisons have reported an average of 65 attempts per month. But in 2017, that went up to 150 attempts a month.

One would think that's not too surprising because prison is a very stressful environment, but one forensic psychologist said those numbers could be misleading. John Huber worked with inmates for over 20 years and he said the problem with the data is the definition of attempted suicide.

He said, in the past, an attempt involved a plan with intent to carry out that plan. Now, suicidal thoughts is considered an attempt. That could be a guard overhearing an inmate casually say "I wish I were dead" in a conversation.

He's worried the lax definition could deter inmates from seeking help, putting them in danger.

"From a mental health perspective, a lot of these inmates may stop talking about what little bit of internal feelings that they talk about at this point," Huber said. "That's a very dangerous thing in prison, it makes you vulnerable. If, for example, if you don't side with some kind of gang, you become a victim from every direction."

"There's no peace for you," he added.

The Department of Criminal Justice credited better suicide prevention training for the increase of reported attempts. The agency stressed that most attempts don't end up in an inmate's death or injury.