Suicide prevention

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a crisis line in the United States and Canada

Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide.[1] Suicide is often preventable,[2] and the efforts to prevent it may occur at the individual, relationship, community, and society level.[1] Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have long-lasting effects on individuals, families, and communities. Preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society. This includes prevention and protective strategies for individuals, families, and communities. Suicide can be prevented by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and committing to social change.[3]

Beyond direct interventions to stop an impending suicide, methods may include:

General efforts include measures within the realms of medicine, mental health, and public health. Because protective factors[4] such as social support and social engagement—as well as environmental risk factors such as access to lethal means— play a role in suicide, suicide is not solely a medical or mental-health issue.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Suicide | Violence Prevention | Injury Center". www.cdc.gov. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  2. ^ Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices (PDF). CDC. 2017. p. 7. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Prevention Strategies". www.cdc.gov. 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  4. ^ "Maine Suicide Prevention Website". Maine.gov. Archived from the original on 2006-07-11. Retrieved 2012-01-15. Protective Factors are the positive conditions, personal and social resources that promote resiliency and reduce the potential for youth suicide as well as other related high-risk behaviors. Just as suicide risks rise from an interaction between familial, genetic, and environmental factors, so do protective factors.
  5. ^ Compare: "Suicide prevention definition – Medical Dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on MedTerms". Medterms.com. 2003-09-16. Archived from the original on 2003-08-19. Retrieved 2012-01-15. Suicide should not be viewed solely as a medical or mental health problem, since protective factors such as social support and connectedness appear to play significant roles in the prevention of death.