Ringing the Alarm on Suicide Prevention: A Call to Action

Abstract

Suicide is among the leading causes of death in the US and worldwide. Devastatingly, it disproportionately affects youth, making it a leading contributor to years of life lost as well. Whereas the US federal government has prioritized the study and prevention of other causes of death, causing mortality rates from them to drop precipitously (e.g., cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS), this is not true of suicide. Funding for suicide prevention research is less than one-third of that allocated to other leading causes of death, and as a result the US suicide rate now is virtually identical to what it was 100 years ago. This situation is alarming and requires immediate action.