According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of people dying by suicide in the United States rose by nearly 30% during 1999–2016. Further, suicide rates increased significantly in 44 states, with 25 states experiencing increases greater than 30% and 43 states experiencing significant increases among females specifically. Suicide rates for females are highest among those ages 45–64, though the rates of girls and women across all age segments taking their own lives were higher in 2016 than in 2000, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Health professionals have an opportunity to identify at-risk patients, given one study’s findings that nearly 64% of insured individuals who made a suicide attempt had made some type of health care visit within the four weeks prior to that suicide attempt. The most common types of visits occurred in outpatient specialty and primary care settings without mental health diagnoses, highlighting the need for non-mental health clinicians to have adequate training in suicide assessment, prevention, or treatment. This National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 9–15), use a comprehensive evidence-based public health approach to help prevent suicide risk before it occurs, identify and support persons at risk, prevent reattempts, and help friends and family members in the aftermath of a suicide.

Screening for Suicide Risk

Early detection is critical for suicide prevention, yet many health care organizations do not have adequate suicide prevention resources, leading to low detection and treatment rates for those at risk. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides free and easy-to-use suicide risk screening tools to help you asses and diagnose your patients. If you treat youth, you can use the National Institute of Mental Health’s Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) toolkit to help screen patients ages 10–24 for suicide risk.

Suicide Prevention App

SAMHSA developed a suicide prevention app to help health professionals integrate suicide prevention strategies into their clinical practices and address suicide risk among patients. This free app is based on SAMHSA's Suicide Assessment Five-step Evaluation and Triage card and offers tips for effectively communicating with patients and their families and for determining appropriate next steps, including making referrals to treatment and community resources.

Providing Care After a Suicide Attempt

Emergency rooms are the front line of medical care and are often the initial point of contact for individuals attempting suicide. SAMHSA’s free brochure offers quick tips for emergency room providers to enhance care and help patients begin to recover.