Suicide Prevention Strategies

Best Available Evidence

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, and rates have increased in recent years. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (August 2020 – February 2021), adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression rose from 36.4% to 41.5%, and unmet mental health care needs rose from 9.2% to 11.7%. In addition, millions have experienced financial hardships, social isolation and loneliness, and increased stress—all of which are shared risk factors for mental health conditions and suicidal behaviors. State health agencies can work to prevent suicides by strengthening economic supports, identifying and supporting people at risk, creating protective environments, promoting connectedness, lessening harms and preventing future risk, teaching coping and problem-solving skills, and strengthening access and delivery of suicide care. Using the Suicide, Overdose, and Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention Capacity Assessment Tool (SPACECAT) can assist your agency in gauging your state’s capacity to implement suicide prevention strategies. Below is a list of beginner, intermediate, and advanced actions your organization can take based on your SPACECAT results.

Beginner Action Ideas

• Conduct a scan of current state policies that strengthen economic support (e.g., unemployment benefit programs) and assess gaps.
• Examine how your state identifies and supports people at risk of dying by suicide (e.g., messages on suicide and crisis hotline number (988), policy on gatekeeper training).
• Create a list of high-risk populations for suicide attempts and deaths based on epidemiological data available in your state.
• Identify funding sources in your state that contribute to comprehensive suicide prevention efforts and which agencies oversee them.
• Build cross-sector partnerships to address upstream suicide prevention and treatment for mental illness.
• Conduct a scan of current state policies that help create protective environments (e.g., reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide) and assess gaps.
• Research the benefits of protective factors, such as connectiveness, for physical and mental health. Compile a list of programs in your state that promote connectedness (e.g., peer norm programs, community engagement).
• Research the value of investment for lessening harms and preventing future risk (e.g., postvention, safe reporting, messaging about suicide).
• Identify state programs that teach coping and problem-solving skills (e.g., social-emotional learning programs) and assess gaps.
• Investigate methods for strengthening access and delivery of suicide care (e.g., reducing provider shortages in underserved areas, mental health parity).

Intermediate Action Ideas

• Research the benefits of policies that strengthen economic support (e.g., unemployment benefit programs) that are not currently legislated in your state. Find examples of policy language used in other states.
• Reach out to partner organizations that use messaging and/ or policy to identify and support people at risk of dying by suicide (e.g., 988, gatekeeper training).
• Determine whether the suicide prevention strategies currently in place in your state have been tailored to the populations found to be most in need.
• Research the benefits of policies that help create protective environments (e.g., reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide) that are not currently legislated in your state. Find examples of policy language used in other states.
• Create factsheets or infographics that convey the importance of connectiveness (e.g., peer norm programs, community engagement) as a protective factor for physical and mental health.
• Research ways to lessen harms and prevent future risks (e.g., postvention, safe reporting, and messaging about suicide). Determine if your state has any of these in place.
• Review research on the importance of programs that teach coping and problem-solving skills (e.g., social-emotional learning programs) for suicide prevention.
• Identify methods for strengthening access and delivery of suicide care (e.g., reduce provider shortages in underserved areas, mental health parity) in your state and assess gaps.

Advanced Action Ideas

• Reach out to state legislators with information about the benefits of policies that strengthen economic support (e.g., unemployment benefit programs) that are not currently legislated in your state. Create factsheets or infographics to support your case.
• Create cross-messaging campaigns with partner organizations to aid in the identification and support of people at risk of dying by suicide.
• Identify ways that your state's current suicide prevention strategies can be updated to prioritize high-risk populations.
• Reach out to state legislators with information about the benefits of policies that help create protective environments (e.g., reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide) that are not currently legislated in your state. Create factsheets or infographics to support your case.
• Promote the importance of connectiveness (e.g., peer norm programs, community engagement) as a protective factor for physical and mental health to leadership in your state. Use concrete data points on health outcomes and return on investment.
• Produce content (e.g., factsheets, blogs) that stresses the importance of lessening harms and preventing future risks (e.g., postvention, safe reporting, messaging about suicide) on long-term health outcomes.
• Create public education campaigns that convey the importance and available state programs for teaching coping and problem-solving skills (e.g., social-emotional learning programs) for suicide prevention.
• Create a strategic plan for strengthening access and delivery of suicide care (e.g., reducing provider shortages in underserved areas, mental health parity) in your state, including partners to engage, evidence of benefits, strategies for creating leadership buy-in, and tools for communicating with the public.

Resources

• A Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Prevention | SPRC
• A Strategic Planning Approach to Suicide Prevention | SPRC
• An Action Plan for Strengthening Mental Health and the Prevention of Suicide in the Aftermath of COVID-19 | National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
• Key Elements for the Implementation of Comprehensive Community-Based Suicide Prevention | National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
• Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices | CDC
• Public Health Action for the Prevention of Suicide | WHO
• Suicide Prevention | CDC
• Summary Recommendations for State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure | SPRC

Health Equity Questions to Consider

• Has your agency assessed whether suicide prevention care (e.g., providers) is accessible for the public?
  
  • Review health equity considerations for suicide prevention programs.
• Does your agency use data to identify disparities in suicide attempts or deaths in your jurisdiction? 
  • Learn about the importance of using data to prevent suicide. 
  • Explore existing data using the Suicide Data Indicators Explorer.
• Does your agency use existing suicide-related data to tailor strategies and engage in an equitable approach to prevention?
  
  • Review the article, “Achieving health equity in US suicides: a narrative review and commentary.”
• Do your current jurisdictional suicide prevention programs have gaps in reaching certain populations or communities or even hinder communities from receiving equitable care?
  
  • Learn more about populations at elevated risk.
  • Learn about bringing equity to suicide prevention.
• How does your agency create community awareness as it relates to suicide prevention in populations most disproportionately affected in your state?
  
  • Review the resource, “Transforming Communities: Key Elements for the Implementation of Comprehensive Community-Based Suicide Prevention.”