New national strategy aims to overcome barriers to suicide prevention, prioritize equity

Key takeaways:

• The Biden-Harris Administration has released the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and Federal Action Plan.
• The revised strategy focuses on suicide prevention, intervention and postvention.

The Biden-Harris Administration released the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and Federal Action Plan, which includes actions to address substance use and suicide risk and evaluate community-based suicide prevention efforts.

The updates, which build upon the previous 2012 National Strategy, were led by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and CDC in partnership with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, along with an Interagency Work Group of more than 20 agencies in 10 federal departments.

Overall suicide rates increased more than 36% between 2000 and 2022, Neera Tanden, JD, director of the Domestic Policy Council and President Biden’s domestic policy advisor, said at the April 23 strategy launch at the White House.

“In 2022 alone, nearly 50,000 lives were lost to suicide,” she said. “That is one suicide death every 11 minutes.”

In addition, 13.2 million people reported seriously considering suicide, and 1.6 million reported a suicide attempt.

“Suicide is a complex problem with no single cause and no single solution, but ... it is preventable,” Tanden said. “Given the multiple factors that lead to suicide, preventing suicide requires a comprehensive public health approach.”

New strategy

The National Strategy is guided by four distinct strategic directions: community-based suicide prevention; treatment and crisis services; surveillance, quality improvement and research; and health equity in suicide prevention.

“We know community-based strategies and interventions are so important,” Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, assistant secretary for mental health and substance use at HHS and administrator of SAMHSA, said at the launch, noting the importance of using “data to look at what’s working, to look at what’s not working and to course-correct” as needed.

Delphin-Rittmon also emphasized the need for health equity in suicide prevention: “It’s so critical that we address the disparities that we’re seeing in terms of the patterns and trends.”

In addition to the four strategic directions, the new strategy also includes actions to preserve, protect and expand telemedicine, giving more people access to care.

First-ever action plan

The first-ever Federal Action Plan identifies 200 discrete actions that will be initiated and evaluated over the next 3 years to determine progress and success, as well as to further identify barriers to successful suicide prevention, according to a press release from SAMHSA.

“There is power in our collective action,” Debra Houry, MD, MPH, the CDC’s chief medical officer and deputy director for program and science, said at the launch. “Working alongside one another — federal partners, states and communities, people with lived experience and those most impacted — we can address the many factors increasing suicide risk and elevate those that promote well-being.”

Reaction to the update

In a statement from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, Chuck Ingoglia, president and CEO, applauded the revision and noted the “crucial guidance it provides with respect to providing equitable approaches to suicide prevention.”

While acknowledging that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has been a “tremendous help,” Ingoglia said more needs to be done to raise awareness and expand resources for the service.

As Healio previously reported, the U.S. faces a shortage of behavioral health professionals, which Ingoglia cited as another area of concern in the field of mental health and substance use treatment and care.

“No one is immune from a mental health challenge,” he said. “So, as we prepare to observe Mental Health Awareness Month in May, it’s important to remember that we must do all we can to help those in crisis because every life matters.”

References:

• Biden-Harris Administration releases National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and First-Ever Federal Action Plan. https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20240423/biden-harris-administration-releases-national-strategy-suicide-prevention-first-ever-federal-action-plan. Published April 23, 2024. Accessed April 30, 2024.
• National Council statement on updated suicide prevention strategy. https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/news/statement-updated-suicide-prevention-strategy/. Published April 23, 2024. Accessed April 30, 2024.
• National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and Federal Action Plan launch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVkyhLXgzho. Published April 23, 2024. Accessed April 30, 2024.