Prevention Strategies

A comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention can decrease risk.

Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have long-lasting effects on individuals, families, and communities. The good news is that suicide is preventable. Preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society. This includes prevention and protective strategies for individuals, families, and communities. Everyone can help prevent suicide by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and a committing to social change.

CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action highlights strategies based on the best available evidence to help states and communities prevent suicide. The strategies and their corresponding approaches are listed in the table below. Click here to learn more about how to implement the strategies in the Prevention Resource.

Strategies to Prevent Suicide

Strengthen economic supports icon

Strengthen economic supports icon

Strengthen economic supports

  • Improve household financial security
  • Stabilize housing

Strengthen economic supports

  • Improve household financial security
  • Stabilize housing

Create protective environments icon

Create protective environments icon

Create protective environments

  • Reduce access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
  • Create healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Reduce substance use through community-based policies and practices

Create protective environments

  • Reduce access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
  • Create healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Reduce substance use through community-based policies and practices

Improve access and delivery of suicide care icon

Improve access and delivery of suicide care icon

Improve access and delivery of suicide care

  • Cover mental health conditions in health insurance policies
  • Increase provider availability in underserved areas
  • Provide rapid and remote access to help
  • Create safer suicide care through systems change

Improve access and delivery of suicide care

  • Cover mental health conditions in health insurance policies
  • Increase provider availability in underserved areas
  • Provide rapid and remote access to help
  • Create safer suicide care through systems change

Promote healthy connections icon

Promote healthy connections icon

Promote healthy connections

  • Promote healthy peer norms
  • Engage community members in shared activities

Promote healthy connections

  • Promote healthy peer norms
  • Engage community members in shared activities

Teach coping and problem-solving skills icon

Teach coping and problem-solving skills icon

Teach coping and problem-solving skills

  • Support social-emotional learning programs
  • Teach parenting skills to improve family relationships
  • Support resilience through education programs

Teach coping and problem-solving skills

  • Support social-emotional learning programs
  • Teach parenting skills to improve family relationships
  • Support resilience through education programs

Identify and support people at risk icon

Identify and support people at risk icon

Identify and support people at risk

  • Train gatekeepers
  • Respond to crises
  • Plan for safety and follow-up after an attempt
  • Provide therapeutic approaches

Identify and support people at risk

  • Train gatekeepers
  • Respond to crises
  • Plan for safety and follow-up after an attempt
  • Provide therapeutic approaches

Lessen harms and prevent future risk icon

Lessen harms and prevent future risk icon

Lessen harms and prevent future risk

  • Intervene after a suicide (postvention)
  • Report and message about suicide safely

Lessen harms and prevent future risk

  • Intervene after a suicide (postvention)
  • Report and message about suicide safely

See Suicide Prevention Resources for articles and publications about prevention strategies for suicide.

Need help? Know someone who does?
988-logo

Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

Connect with a trained crisis counselor. 988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365.

Visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for more information at 988lifeline.org.