By Allie Vanden Heuvel, Alliance Intern from University of Alabama at Birmingham MPH ‘25
A person dies by suicide every 11 minutes in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022 and 13.2 million Americans seriously considered suicide (CDC). These staggering statistics are only increasing. This public health problem needs actionable change now.
September is Suicide Prevention Month – a time to remember lives lost, support those who are experiencing suicidal thoughts, and raise awareness about suicide prevention – which is led by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This month, I encourage you to learn about the warning signs, risk factors and resources to help address this public health crisis.
Suicide prevention and mental health care are issues that hit close to home for me. I have lost friends and family members to suicide, and have learned the importance of mental health care through personal experience. My lack of knowledge about suicide was a significant barrier in reaching acceptance, along with so many others. This led me to an education in psychology and public health.
My education on mental health and suicide prevention has sparked many important questions. What factors impact a person’s likelihood of experiencing mental health issues and symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts? Why are minorities more likely to have mental health diagnoses? These questions can be answered by looking at suicide through the lens of health equity.
Health Equity
Before answering these questions, I’d like to share some important context that I’ve learned about health equity. Equity is the absence of unfair, avoidable differences between social, demographic, economic, and geographic groups.
Equality is different from equity. Equality means everyone receives the same opportunities and experiences, shown above where all three people are given the same blocks to reach the apples, despite their height difference.
Equity involves providing additional support to individuals and communities who need it, such as all three people being able to reach the apple tree. In practice, this means supporting communities who are disenfranchised or underserved due to a variety of social, environmental, and economic conditions to ensure they have better access to resources, opportunities, and experiences.
Health equity is achieved when all individuals are able to be their healthiest selves, with no barriers between the individual and the care and support they need. This means all people and groups have the same access to health care resources and opportunities to improve mental, physical, and emotional health.
Health Equity and Suicide Prevention
Suicide disproportionately effects underserved communities. Youth aged 10-24, Black youth, middle-aged men, older adults, LGBTQIA+, veterans and survivors of suicide loss all have an increased risk for suicide (SAMHSA). Additionally, the American Indian/Alaska Native community experiences suicide nearly 10% more than any other racial or ethnic group CDC). The suicide rate among men is approximately four times higher than in women, and individuals aged 85 years and older had the highest rates of suicide in 2022 (CDC).
Equality is different from equity. Equality means everyone receives the same opportunities and experiences, shown above where all three people are given the same blocks to reach the apples, despite their height difference.
Equity involves providing additional support to individuals and communities who need it, such as all three people being able to reach the apple tree. In practice, this means supporting communities who are disenfranchised or underserved due to a variety of social, environmental, and economic conditions to ensure they have better access to resources, opportunities, and experiences.
Health equity is achieved when all individuals are able to be their healthiest selves, with no barriers between the individual and the care and support they need. This means all people and groups have the same access to health care resources and opportunities to improve mental, physical, and emotional health.
Health Equity and Suicide Prevention
Suicide disproportionately effects underserved communities. Youth aged 10-24, Black youth, middle-aged men, older adults, LGBTQIA+, veterans and survivors of suicide loss all have an increased risk for suicide (SAMHSA). Additionally, the American Indian/Alaska Native community experiences suicide nearly 10% more than any other racial or ethnic group CDC). The suicide rate among men is approximately four times higher than in women, and individuals aged 85 years and older had the highest rates of suicide in 2022 (CDC).
Social determinants of health also contribute to a person’s risk factors for suicidal thoughts and suicide. Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, and age that impact health, quality of life and overall well being (US Department of Health and Human Services). Examples of social determinants of health include racism, education, pollution, violence and transportation.
Social and environmental conditions can greatly impact disparities between groups and their health. For example, experiencing racism contributes to a person’s stress levels and can increase mental health issues. Therefore, racism can increase morbidity (the presence of disease in a population) and mortality.
But how can this information be translated into positive change in communities? After identifying communities at risk, programs are created to support individuals in need. Programs can improve access and delivery of suicide care, promote healthy connections and relationships, teach coping skills and create protective environments (CDC).
How You Can Make a Difference
You can make a difference this Suicide Prevention Month by learning the warning signs and risk factors for suicide, along with familiarizing yourself with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Warning signs include:
- Hopelessness
- Withdrawing from social connections or situations
- Extreme mood swings
- Talking about being a burden
- Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
- Sleeping too little or too much
Risk factors include:
- Untreated mental illness and substance misuse
- Family conflict
- Social isolation
- Community violence
- Stigma
- Racism and discrimination
Checking on family and friends experiencing mental health issues, expressing concern and being a support system can have a profound impact on their wellbeing. You can prevent suicide.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health emergency or suicidal thoughts, help is available. Call or text 988 anytime or chat online with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.