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Project

Suicide Risk Reduction

Suicide is a growing public health problem in the United States. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that more than 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022—the highest number of suicide deaths ever recorded in the U.S.

Communities of color are increasingly affected by suicide, with deaths among Indigenous peoples and Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans rising over the past 20 years. Veterans, people who identify as LGBTQ, youth and young adults, and disaster survivors are also at elevated risk of suicide.  

Nearly half of people who die by suicide have a visit with a health care professional within four weeks of their death. These interactions offer a key opportunity for providers to identify individuals at risk for a suicide attempt and to connect them with care. Evidence-based screening tools, which are simple to administer, are available to help clinicians quickly and accurately identify patients at risk of suicide and assess their needs, but these tools are not widely used across health care settings.

The Pew Charitable Trusts’ suicide risk reduction project aims to make suicide risk assessment and care a part of routine health care in the U.S. and to fill gaps between people at risk of suicide and the care they need by empowering hospitals and health systems to expand the use of evidence-based screening and interventions. 

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org and click on the chat button.

Article

Universal Screenings to Help Reduce Suicide Risk

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Article

Health care providers can play a critical role in identifying people at risk for suicide and connecting them to the care they need. A new video from The Pew Charitable Trusts looks at how universal screening for suicide risk helps ensure that more people get essential help.

 Suicide is an Urgent Public Health Problem in America
Suicide is an Urgent Public Health Problem in America
Data Visualization

Suicide Is an Urgent Public Health Issue in America

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Data Visualization

More than 48,000 people die by suicide each year. Suicide was the 11th-leading cause of death in the country in 2021. From 2000 to 2020, the suicide rate increased 30% across all sexes, races, and ethnicities.

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Video

A Public Health Crisis We Can Help Solve

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Video

In 2021, around 48,000 Americans died by suicide, an increase following a two-year decline. This video discusses several factors that can contribute to suicide risk, including family history of suicide, feelings of hopelessness and isolation, and brain chemistry abnormalities.