September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a time of year when organizations like Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention raise awareness, spread hope and spark action around the nation’s 11th-leading cause of death.
As our understanding of suicide grows more complex and rates continue to climb, prevention efforts must evolve at pace. Experts like Holly Wilcox, founder and director of Johns Hopkins’ Center for Suicide Prevention, say that with an issue like suicide, the approach must be multifaceted and nationwide.
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Suicide rates in the US
In the latest suicide data collected in 2024, 48,824 people died by suicide, which is about 13.7 people per 100,000.
That same year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found an estimated 14.3 million adults seriously thought about suicide, while 4.6 million planned a suicide attempt and 2.2 million attempted suicide.
“Our suicide rates have been climbing,” Paul Nestadt, medical director at the Center for Suicide Prevention, said in a press briefing Wednesday. “Suicide is clearly a public health problem.”
A focus on nationwide prevention
Both Nestadt and Wilcox say the strongest approach to combating rising suicide numbers is nationwide prevention efforts.
Nestadt says it’s difficult, and often impossible, to identify individuals who are at the highest risk of suicide. That’s why nationwide efforts, like increasing access to mental health resources while reducing access to lethal means, are critical.
“Firearms remain the most common method of suicide deaths,” Nestadt said, adding that most suicide attempts are actually survived, “but if you use a firearm, if someone has access to a firearm… the chance of death is much higher.”
So efforts to require proper storage and limit access to firearms as a whole could prevent suicide attempts across the country.
Wilcox gave another example of limiting access to lethal means: netting on the Golden Gate Bridge. She said since the nets were installed, suicide attempts there dropped by 73%, and a study found it didn’t lead to a rise in attempts at other bridges.
She also noted other approaches to combating suicide, like identifying high-risk individuals early, easy and timely access to care, leadership commitment and data-based efforts.
Wilcox also mentioned the 988 lifeline, a free, confidential lifeline for anyone struggling in the U.S. She said this week, the Center for Suicide Prevention is partnering with Snapchat to promote the lifeline so more Americans are aware of it and take advantage of it.
“We can’t just rely on a one-time training or a one-time awareness campaign,” Wilcox said. “We need a comprehensive approach.”
Studying those who have died
Nestadt noted that a lot of research surrounding suicide stems from those who attempted suicide themselves, but survived. However, he says more can be learned from those who died.
“People who die by suicide often look very different from those who attempted and survived,” Nestadt said, noting occupation, age and race are drastically different.
That’s why suicide fatality review boards are popping up across the country. Nestadt says the boards look at suicide deaths in the area and learn what happened in the days, weeks and hours before an individual’s death.
From there, the board can identify missed prevention opportunities and establish new prevention initiatives.
And the weight isn’t entirely on the healthcare system. Public policy also plays a role, Nestadt said, especially when it comes to firearms and limiting access.
“We need to reach people where they are,” Wilcox said. “We know most people who will die by suicide won’t seek help, and we can’t wait for someone to be in crisis to offer them help.”
Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available. Visit the National Crisis Line website or call or text 988 for immediate support.
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