Public health
fromPsychology Today
13 hours agoReducing Drug Overdoses that Lead to Suicide
Drug and alcohol dependence greatly increases suicide risk, and restricting access to prescription pills can help prevent overdoses.
Dr Robby holds an infant abandoned in the chaos of trauma. Robby cradles him with a tenderness that seems incongruous with the man we have watched unravel across the season. You have so many wonderful things to see, he whispers, his voice cracking. And so many people to love ahead of you. Tyler Beauchamp, MD When Robby speaks these words of comfort to the child, something shifts in his eyes a dawning recognition that he is not merely soothing an abandoned infant, but speaking to the abandoned parts of himself that, too, deserve saving.
The Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health-Veteran Enhanced Treatment, or REACH VET, program identifies veterans in the top 0.1% of suicide risk by analyzing health records for specific indicators of potential self-harm.
Police forces must do more to target domestic abusers who drive women to suicide, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has said. Forces are being asked to change their approach to suicide cases where domestic abuse may have been a factor, with officers too often not sufficiently curious about the circumstances surrounding a death, it added. Speaking to The Guardian, NPCC assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe, who leads on domestic abuse, said that more posthumous investigations are taking place.
The Social Security Administration has instructed employees newly assigned to answering phones to tell callers expressing suicidal thoughts that suicide is "one option," raising concerns from employees and experts in the field who called the approach unorthodox. SSA recently began shifting new swaths of its workforce to phone answering duty, including those who normally receive and process retirement and disability claims, manage the agency's technology and work in the agency's finances unit.
The world was a scary place for her, as a transgender, autistic woman. It should not have been. It should have seen her for the wonderful, radiant, and deeply empathetic person she was. Nothing can make up for Summer's death, but we hope that it at least can be used as a catalyst to make the world a kinder place, and to prevent anyone else from dying in this way.
Suicide is a cause of death that haunts the living in perpetuity. After a suicide event, those left behind are tormented by questions. "Could I have done something?" "What did I miss?" "How could this happen?" "Was it my fault?" Even the best answers fail to return the person lost, and natural grief is often compounded with unnecessary blame. Discussions about suicide prediction and prevention primarily focus on known risk factors such as mental illness and suicidal ideation. 1
The iconic Golden Gate Bridge has a dark side. Historically, an average of 30 people each year have climbed over the four-foot railing and jumped to their deaths. Not anymore. In the second half of 2025, there were no confirmed suicides. What's different? And are would-be jumpers now dying by suicide in other places or using other means? The answers to these questions are important in themselves and for suicide prevention more broadly.
Jake's marriage to Louise is in trouble, and she has insisted he come and see me. If not for Louise, you wouldn't be here, would you? I enquire tentatively. He looks sheepish at first; then emboldened, he gives an emphatic No. As is almost always the case, Jake's wife has registered a problem that has passed him by, and prompted his visit.
The Trevor Project used to get some federal funding for operating LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services for the federal 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. But the current administration cut funding to that initiative in July. The funding cut came after Trevor Project was targeted for years by the right with accusations of "grooming" children that had no basis in reality. Conservatives claim that the organization is somehow making kids become LGBTQ+, which is not possible. Instead, the organization provides support for LGBTQ+ youth.
David's story is more than just dodging a bullet it is a powerful testament to the critical importance of suicide prevention strategies that focus on encouraging temporarily limiting firearm access whether through secure storage at home or transfer away from home. Fresh approaches are desperately needed, since U.S. suicide rates have been steadily rising for two decades. To reverse this trend, we must address access to firearms, which account for 55% of all U.S. suicide deaths.