Suicide refers to a self-inflicted injury with the intent of death. Similarly, a suicide attempt is when an individual intends to harm themselves in an attempt to end their life, but they do not die. Although there are many risk factors associated with suicide, there is no one cause.

Suicide prevention refers to the collective efforts, strategies, and interventions aimed at reducing the risk of individuals taking their own lives. The goal of suicide prevention is to identify and address risk factors associated with suicidal behavior, provide support to individuals in crisis, and promote mental well-being to ultimately reduce the incidence of suicide.

Suicide has significant mental, emotional, and physical impacts. For people who attempt suicide and survive it can result in serious physical injuries and prolonged mental health issues. Suicide affects the mental and emotional health of families, friends, coworkers, and communities. Those who lose someone to suicide experience grief, anger guilt, anxiety, depression, and sometimes suicidal thoughts. 

Suicide is a serious public health issue. In 2021, over 48,000 people died of suicide in the U.S. alone and 1.7 million made an attempt. It is the 11th leading cause of death overall in the U.S. and the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 20-34. 

Suicide has a complicated history that has resulted in stigma toward those who die by suicide, their families and loved ones, and those who attempt suicide. It was once considered a criminal act and punishable by law as well as considered a sin among certain religions. As a result, families experience significant shame and grief when a loved one dies by suicide.

There is no one cause of suicide, however, there are many risk factors including a history of depression and other mental illnesses, trauma, substance use, loss of a relationship, social isolation, easy access to lethal means such as firearms, and stigma around seeking help for mental health issues. 

The majority of suicides worldwide are related to mental health disorders including depression, substance use, and psychosis. 

Although anyone can be affected by suicide, the following groups experience it at a much higher rate than the general population. 

Transformative change for suicide prevention involves promoting open conversations about mental health, encouraging help-seeking behavior, increasing access to mental health screening programs, and training individuals to recognize warning signs and provide appropriate support. Moving beyond traditional medical models, mental health services should be integrated into education, employment, housing and other social services. Lastly, establishing community-based support networks, peer support programs, and strengthening crisis response systems to support individuals in acute distress. 

Strengthening economic supports, creating protective environments, improving access and delivery of suicide care, promoting healthy connections, and teaching coping and problem-solving skills can reduce the rate of suicide at scale. 

At the local level, communities can distribute educational materials regarding lethal means and suicide prevention including safe firearm storage methods, provide gatekeeper trainings to community members, address provider shortages in underserved and rural areas, and enhance funding and support for crisis services. 

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