News Type: Weekly Spark Announcement

We’re honored to announce the release of Native and Strong Lifeline: The Nation’s First 988 Crisis Line for Indigenous People. This success story features the first-ever 988 crisis line for Indigenous callers, run by the Volunteers of America Western Washington. Since launching one year ago, the Native and Strong Lifeline has shown success in providing culturally informed crisis services tailored to the needs of its communities.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released results from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which provides nationally representative data on mental illness and substance use.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is holding its annual International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day tomorrow, Saturday, November 18. In addition to in-person events happening around the world, AFSP is hosting a Facebook Live event at 7 p.m. ET.

Education Development Center (EDC) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) have released guidance for local health departments to address the intersection of suicide, overdose, and adverse childhood experiences. 

The American Evaluation Association (AEA) has published an AEA365 blog post on measuring suicide prevention infrastructure support using an example from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has released a research highlight on an emergency department intervention for reducing adult suicide risk.

We’re pleased to announce the release of our new online course, Safety Planning for Youth Suicide Prevention. This free, self-paced course is designed for health, behavioral health, and mental health clinicians as well as students in clinical training programs.

In this course, participants will develop their knowledge and skills in using the Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention, an evidence-based collaborative intervention for clinicians and clients at risk of suicide. Participants will learn the core elements of the Safety Planning Intervention, strategies for collaborating with young clients and their family members, and ways to overcome challenges.

This online course is approved by the National Association of Social Workers for one continuing education contact hour.

New research on messaging about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988 Lifeline) is now available. This mixed-methods formative research study describes the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, barriers, and motivations related to 988 and adopting help-seeking behaviors among populations at higher risk for or disproportionately impacted by suicide.

Led by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) in partnership with SPRC and the Ad Council Research Institute (ACRI), this research provides a strong starting point for better understanding how to reach key audiences and support culturally sensitive, responsive, effective, and successful 988 communications. Access the complete findings and communications toolkit today.

In honor of Veterans Day, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has published a blog post on the role of peers in veterans’ recovery from mental illness and substance misuse.

The Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) recently shared tips for autistic trans people about finding and going to doctors. The guidance includes information on patient rights and what to expect at a doctor’s office and in the hospital.