Preventing Suicide

Overview

Preventing suicide begins long before someone is experiencing a crisis. By creating healthy environments for individuals, families, and communities, we can protect people from feeling suicidal in the first place. We can also lessen the community effects of suicides when they do happen, which can reduce risk among those who lost a loved one to suicide, and promote healing.

Everyone can help prevent suicide by learning the warning signs, promoting resilience, and supporting people at risk.

Risk factors

Someone's suicide risk varies as a result of the number and intensity of certain factors, including life circumstances and community conditions.

Some factors that may increase the likelihood of suicide can include:

• Previous suicide attempts
• History of depression and other mental illness
• Financial problems or job loss
• Bullying or social isolation
• Lack of access to health care
• Easy access to lethal means, and
• Intimate partner or family relationship problems.

Having these experiences does not predict suicide or suicide attempts. Most people who experience these factors do not attempt or die by suicide.

There are also experiences and community conditions that can protect people or act as a buffer from suicide. Some of these can include:

• Coping and problem-solving skills
• Strong sense of cultural identity
• Support from friends and family
• Feeling connected to others, and
• Availability of high-quality health care.

Prevention tips

Parents and caregivers

Raising children can be challenging—it's ok to ask for help. Reach out to babysitters, childcare providers, family members, or close friends. Discuss your concerns with your child's doctor. Also consider finding out if your community offers support groups or programs for parents and caregivers.

• Talk to your child about their mental health and provide support for challenges they may be experiencing.
• Seek parenting skill training programs to help build stronger relationships with your children.
• Watch for signs of distress in your child like anger, withdrawal, changes in school performance, sleep, or eating, and seek help when needed.
• Build stronger relationships with your children with support from people who care about you and from your community.
• Securely store firearms and prescriptions (for example, in a gun safe or lock box) to prevent access by children and other unauthorized users.

Everyone

Everyone can recognize the warning signs in their friends and family and connect them to the 24/7 988 Lifeline or a mental health provider if they are in crisis.

Warning signs of suicide can vary, but may include talking about wanting to die, talking about feeling hopeless, talking about feeling unbearable pain, talking about being a burden to others, increasing the use of alcohol or drugs, or withdrawing or isolating themselves.

Everyone can engage their communities in shared activities that reduce feelings of isolation such as community clean ups, tree planting, or group exercise. These activities provide opportunities for people to become more involved in the community and connect with others.

Schools can implement programs that teach kids about communication, problem-solving, empathy, emotional awareness and regulation, conflict management, and resilience. Schools can also train gatekeepers to notice the warning signs of suicide and safely intervene among students to refer them to support services.

Media organizations can be sure they are following ethical, safe practices for reporting on suicide.

Businesses can prevent suicide by creating a supportive environment that reduces job strain, actively promotes mental health, and makes crisis resources readily accessible. Businesses can also train gatekeepers and managers to recognize the signs of suicide and safely intervene.

Treatment

Treatment for people who are considering or have attempted suicide can involve connecting people in crisis to mental health services. Treatment can also include putting space and time between the individual and lethal means. To prevent reattempts, treatment can include regular therapy and check ins with medical providers.

Suicide risk can increase among people who have lost a friend or peer, family member, or other close contact to suicide. Treatment for families and survivors of suicide loss can include debriefing sessions, counseling, or bereavement support groups.

Resources

These are a few evidence-based resources that can help prevent suicide. These examples are drawn from the Suicide Prevention Resource for Action which provides additional guidance and strategies:

• Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR): QPR is an hour-long training that aims to reduce stigma and increase knowledge about suicide risk factors, warning signs, and available resources.
• The Youth Aware of Mental Health Program (YAM): YAM is a universal school-based program for teenagers ages 13–17. It uses interactive dialogue, group discussions, and role-playing to teach teens about themes related to mental health. The themes include stress and crisis, suicidal thoughts, helping a friend in need, asking for help, and more.
• Signs of Suicide (SOS): SOS is a universal school-based suicide prevention program that teaches middle and high school students how to recognize signs of depression and suicide risk, and how to seek help. It also includes screening for elevated depression and substance use disorders.
• The Incredible Years: These programs offer a variety of evidence-based early intervention programs for parents, teachers, early childhood educators, counselors, and other professionals who work with children ages 0-12.