About half of people who die by suicide in the U.S. visit a health provider within the four weeks before their deaths. These visits are often missed opportunities to connect people to care—but universal screening can help.
To prevent suicide, we must talk about it. To further that message, a new Pew-supported PBS documentary, “Facing Suicide,” aims to normalize these often-difficult conversations. The film debuts next week—don’t miss it.
A 1999 surgeon general’s report on suicide led to several prevention efforts. Among them: Zero Suicide, an organization that has improved suicide care in health settings. Now, we’re working with them to scale up.
Beyond suicide risk screening programs, how can communities prevent suicide and other behavioral health emergencies? For starters, by using these resources to improve responses to mental health and substance use crisis calls.
