Comprehensive Suicide Prevention

CDC’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program (CSP) funds programs in 17 states to implement and evaluate a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention, with a special focus on populations that are disproportionately affected by suicide.

A comprehensive approach to suicide prevention includes:

• Strong leadership to convene and connect multi-sectoral partnerships
• Using data to:
  • identify disproportionately affected populations with increased risk of suicide
  • understand contributors to suicide and suicidal behaviors
  • track trends in suicide deaths and suicidal behavior
• Identifying and assessing gaps in existing programs in the jurisdiction
• Implementing and evaluating complementary strategies with the best available evidence from the Suicide Prevention Resource for Action
• Developing, implementing, and evaluating a communication and dissemination plan to communicate trends, progress, successes, and lessons learned to partners

CDC’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program At a Glance

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A key outcome of this funding is a 10% reduction in suicide and suicide attempts among populations that are disproportionately affected by suicide. These populations include veterans, tribal populations, rural communities, LGBTQ, youth/young adults, and others.

Through CSP cooperative agreements, CDC aims to build a national program to reach the nation’s goal of reducing suicide by 20% by 2025.

To support this program, CDC is dedicating approximately $15 million per year.

Funded Programs

September 2020:

• California Department of Public Health*
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
• Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services*
• North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services*
• Tennessee Department of Health*
• University of Pittsburgh*
• Vermont Department of Health*

*Enhancing CSP with Syndromic Surveillance

14 CSP programs also use funds to support emergency department syndromic surveillance of nonfatal suicide-related outcomes (for example, suicide attempts and suicidal ideation). Collecting these near real-time data can help states rapidly track and respond to changing patterns in suicidal behavior.

This surveillance work builds upon CDC’s previously funded Emergency Department Surveillance of Nonfatal Suicide-Related Outcomes program.

September 2021:

• Louisiana Department of Health*
• Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention*

September 2022:

• Florida Department of Health*
• Georgia Department of Public Health*
• Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene*
• Oregon Health Authority/Public Health Division*
• University of North Dakota*
• Wisconsin Department of Health Services*