47120 Suicide Prevention

Course overview

Focuses on suicide prevention, starting with the prevalence of suicide nationally and worldwide, as well as the warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for suicide, comparing the myths to the facts, and key steps to preventing someone from taking their own life. Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have lasting and devastating effects on families, peers, and communities. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States and was responsible for more than 48,000 deaths in 2018. Suicide can be prevented by using a public health approach that addresses risk and protective factors for multiple types of violence. While the causes of suicide are complex and determined by multiple factors, the goal of suicide prevention is to reduce factors that increase risk and increase factors that promote resilience. Screening for suicidal risk and early detection is crucial in suicide prevention, and in 2016, the Joint Commission issued a sentinel event alert recommending that all patients in all medical settings be screened for suicide risk. The majority of individuals who die by suicide see a healthcare provider in the months preceding their death, creating an opportune situation to identify those at risk and refer them to appropriate mental health resources. This program discusses statistics related to suicide, major risk and protective factors for suicide, myths and facts, how to screen and assess for suicide risk, and intervention strategies for suicidality.