Suicide takes a toll on individuals and whole communities. Research shows that suicide can be prevented by reducing access to lethal means, providing life skills training and supporting resilience.
Responsible media coverage can change perceptions, dispel myths and provide helpful information about warning signs and available resources. Other prevention methods with positive outcomes include medication, psychotherapy and gatekeeper training.
Supportive Relationships and Community Connectedness
Suicide is a complex public health issue that is linked to a range of individual, interpersonal, community and societal factors. Among these is the need for strong, trusting relationships and a sense of belonging and being supported by a community.
Research shows that people who have positive social connections are at lower risk for suicide. Likewise, communities that demonstrate high levels of social cohesion – which is characterized by shared norms and a commitment to help one another – have been shown to be at lower risk for suicide.
In a time of increased stress and community disconnection, efforts to promote connections are critical. Programs that support connection can be adapted to specific populations and contexts, such as during periods of infrastructure disruption like the COVID-19 pandemic. These programs can be paired with rigorous evaluations to enhance local learning and support evidence-based solutions.
Identifying People at Risk
Suicide is often a result of complex situations and underlying conditions, such as mental disorders, that increase risk when left untreated. These factors can be present at the individual, family, community, and societal levels.
In addition to supporting support systems, identifying people at risk and connecting them to care can help reduce suicide rates. Individuals can look for warning signs in those close to them, such as a sudden change in behavior or a heightened level of distress. Educating the public about risk factors and warning signs can also make a difference.
In addition, community-based prevention strategies such as reducing access to lethal means and fostering responsible media coverage can also save lives. For example, reducing the availability of firearms, distributing medication safety locks, and placing barriers on bridges can all prevent suicides by making it more difficult to obtain and use these methods of self-harm. Other preventive measures include training for gatekeepers (e.g., emergency department staff), suicide screening programs, and support for primary care providers who identify people at risk.
Raising Awareness
Suicide is a public health issue that can be prevented. Everyone can play a role by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and support, and advocating for change.
Research shows that raising awareness about suicide decreases stigma and encourages help-seeking behavior. Public education campaigns can include information about the prevalence of mental disorders among those who die by suicide and the types of treatment available to address these conditions. Responsible media coverage that explains the role of mental disorders in suicide and avoids sensationalizing or dramatizing the method of death can also improve help-seeking behavior.
People at risk of suicide may exhibit a number of warning signs such as a sudden shift in mood, talking about or researching ways to end their lives, contacting friends and family to say goodbye, acting aggressively, giving away prized possessions or sleeping too little. These signs should never be ignored and should prompt someone to seek help. It is also important to know that asking someone who seems depressed or suicidal if they are thinking about suicide does not increase their risk.
Taking Action
A whole-of-society approach is needed to prevent suicide. This includes strategies at the national, state, tribal, and local levels as well as efforts to support people with lived experience.
One important way to help prevent suicide is to reduce barriers to seeking help. This can be done through gatekeeper training, reducing stigma, and making services more accessible. Increasing life skills, resilience, and coping strategies can also help protect against suicide risk by improving how someone is able to respond to challenges like job loss, divorce, financial struggles, chronic illness, or violence.
Another way to help prevent suicide is to take action by limiting access to lethal means of self-harm. This can be done through providing families with information about safely storing medications and firearms, changing medication packaging to make it less lethal, putting barriers on bridges, and other actions. CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action outlines strategies based on the best evidence to prevent suicide.