National Suicide Prevention Month
National Suicide Prevention Month takes place every September. It is a time to remember the lives that have been lost to suicide as well as to enhance and expand efforts to prevent future deaths due to suicide. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., with over 48,000 lives lost in 2021. That’s one death every 11 minutes. Similarly, suicide ideation is a major concern. Among U.S. adults in 2021, 12.3 million seriously considered suicide, 3.5 million made a plan, and 1.7 million attempted suicide.
Suicide is also a major public health crisis among U.S. youth. Following deaths due to unintentional injuries, suicide is the national second leading cause of death among high-school youth 14-18 years-old. In 2019, 18.8% of students reported that they had seriously considered suicide during the past year, with significantly more female (24.1%) than male (13.3%) students sharing their history of ideation. Additionally, one in six students (15.7%) reported that they had made a suicide plan, and one in 11 (8.9%) shared that they had attempted suicide. Suicide attempts during the previous year were even higher among lesbian, gay, and bisexual students, with 23.0% reporting a recent attempt. Students unsure about their sexuality reported previous year attempt rates of 16.0%, while heterosexual/straight students reported 6.0%.
What can primary preventionists do to aid in suicide prevention efforts? In addition to the resources and links shared below, here are a few key approaches that prevention professionals can take in preventing suicide deaths.
- Incorporate communication when discussing suicide that is non-stigmatizing, compassionate and direct.
- Understand suicide risk warning signs, including associations with substance misuse, and practice conversations to offer support.
- Learn about safe storage options for firearms. The CDC has identified that more than 50% of suicides resulted from the use of a firearm, highlighting the need of safe storage methods for owners.
- Explore prevention resources and information for communities that experience an increased risk of suicide, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities, service members, veterans, and their families, members certain occupations and industries, and individuals with physical health problems or disabilities.
- Incorporate voices with lived experience and suicide loss survivors into primary prevention efforts, including learning more about their unique suicide risk factors and resiliencies.
- Promote the national 988 suicide prevention lifeline, including the national chat and text options.
Want to learn even more about how you can help prevent suicide? Check out the suicide prevention educational resources and information below:
- Forefront Suicide Prevention: Suicide Prevention LEARN Toolkit
- CDC: Suicide Prevention – Social Media Resources
- The Trevor Project: LGBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention in Schools
- Prevention Institute: Equity
National Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month, honoring and recognizing the cultures, traditions, crucial contributions, and histories of Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx Americans. The month showcases the journeys, knowledge, and successes from generations of Latino/a/x individuals and communities both throughout history and at present day. Learn more about National Hispanic Heritage Month at the National Hispanic Heritage Month and National Museum of the American Latino websites.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has identified Hispanic and Latino Americans as a priority population for advancing health equity efforts. In 2021, approximately 22% of Hispanic and Latino Americans reported having a mental illness (compared to approximately 24% of non-Hispanic Whites). Disparities in access to care and support for behavioral health care needs are clear: only 36% of Hispanic and Latino Americans received mental health services, versus 52% of non-Hispanic Whites. Similarly, unmet treatment needs for substance use disorder (SUD) services was over 90%.
Unequal and unequitable access to behavioral health services, including within primary prevention settings, is unacceptable. SAMHSA and Mental Health America have identified several barriers that Hispanic and Latino Americans encounter in accessing behavioral health services and care. These include:
- Persistent experiences of structural racism and discrimination both within systems of care as well as related to social drivers of health (SDOH) considerations.
- A shortage of providers with diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
- Inadequate access to providers, including a shortage of providers with language capabilities, insufficient training in cultural humility, and a lack of understanding cultural traditions and values.
- Inadequate access to accessible services
- Stigma around mental health which impacts decisions and/or support to seek support.
In partnership with Latina/o/x preventionist voices, the primary prevention field must continue to proactively address diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) challenges that Hispanic and Latino Americans encounter in prevention settings and services. During National Hispanic Heritage Month, take some time to explore these resources and partnerships that promote the resiliency and wellbeing of Latina/o/x and Hispanic communities:
- Información Y Materiales De Salud Mental En Español
- National Alliance for Hispanic Health
- Latinx Therapy
Deaf Awareness Month
A comprehensive approach to DIEB in SUD primary prevention must consider all possible needs for accessing services. This includes proactive accommodation options for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. According to the World Health Organization, ‘hard of hearing’ refers to individuals who experience mild to severe hearing loss and can usually communicate though spoken language as well as benefit from assistance devices (such as hearing aids or closed captioning). Individuals who are ‘deaf’ have profound hearing loss with little to no hearing, and often use sign language for communication.
In the United States, approximately 15% of American adults over the age of 18 report some trouble hearing, and 13% over the age of 12 have some degree of hearing loss in both ears (NIDCD, 2021). To create inclusive and useful SUD primary prevention practices for everyone within California communities, it is important to ensure that anyone living with hearing loss or deafness can easily and readily access services that align with their needs when engaged in primary prevention services.
Best practices for improving access to language assistance must consider both written translation and interpretation services. What’s the difference? According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, written translation means offering “translated written materials, translated by qualified translators into languages other than English.” Interpretation, however, means providing “a qualified interpreter to facilitate verbal communication,” including for individuals with limited oral proficiency and/or for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Often in primary prevention, access to interpretation services is not made readily available, which impacts the ability of those who are hard of hearing or deaf to equitably access services. The Hearing Loss Association of America documents that hearing loss has been shown to negatively impact physical, emotional, and mental health, as well as to affect school and work performance and perceptions of mental acuity, social skills, family relationships, and self-esteem. The established impacts of hearing loss align closely with known risk factors in SUD prevention and other behavioral health fields.
To increase DEIB efforts for those living with hearing loss, consider how you might be able to enhance your accessibility and inclusivity efforts in SUD primary prevention services and programming. Interested in learning more? Check out these resources:
- The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: Quick Statistics About Hearing
- Hearing Loss Association of America: Hearing Loss and Mental Health: The Surprising Connection
- Heuser Hearing Institute: Hearing Loss: Why it’s a Big Deal? Race and Socioeconomic Disparities in Healthcare
- The National Institute of Health, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: 10 Times for Using a Sign Language Interpreter