News & Highlights
This section presents news and highlights from SPRC and the suicide prevention field. Use the filters on the left to find the following items:
- Weekly Spark, SPRC’s online newsletter, containing brief news articles, research summaries, announcements, and funding opportunities. Subscribe to the Weekly Spark.
- Director’s Corner, a monthly column by SPRC leadership and guest authors.
- From the Field, innovative activities being implemented in states, communities, healthcare organizations, and other settings.
- Prevention in Practice stories highlight innovation in suicide prevention.
- Surveillance Success Stories focus on using data to inform suicide prevention efforts.
- State Infrastructure Success Stories highlight real-life examples of states that have built infrastructure essential for advancing suicide prevention.
Displaying 127 results. Refine results using the filters on the left.
Weekly Spark
A Look Back at Director’s Corners in 2023
January 05, 2024
Learning From Autistic Lived Experience Inclusion Is Key to Mental Health Meeting Rural Men Where They Are 988 Lifeline: Crisis...
Director's Corner
Be the Change: How to Support Suicide Prevention Efforts This September
August 18, 2023
This Suicide Prevention Month, let's encourage everyone to get involved.
Director's Corner
988 Lifeline: Crisis Care That Feels Like Care
July 21, 2023
On the one-year anniversary of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, let’s build on its progress to expand crisis services nationwide.
Director's Corner
Meeting Rural Men Where They Are
June 23, 2023
To reduce suicide rates among rural men, we need to meet them where they are.
Director's Corner
Inclusion Is Key to Mental Health
May 12, 2023
Celebrate mental health awareness and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities by weaving inclusivity into everything you do.
Director's Corner
Learning From Autistic Lived Experience
April 21, 2023
By learning about autism and listening to the unique insights of those experiencing it, we can all support autistic people in living their fullest lives.
Director's Corner
Black History Month: An Invitation to Cultural Humility
February 17, 2023
Learn how to foster the three elements of cultural humility and incorporate them in your work.
Director's Corner
A Look Back at Director’s Corners in 2022
January 06, 2023
Stepping Up and Affirming LGBTQI+ Youth Recover Together National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Following Our Compass Collaboration is Key to...
Director's Corner
Give Your Presence This Season and All Year Round
December 23, 2022
This season and all year round, reach out and share your presence. It’s the greatest present you can give those around you.
Director's Corner
Collaboration Is Key to Upstream Suicide Prevention
November 18, 2022
Learn how SPRC’s new Best Practices Registry will help you incorporate upstream suicide prevention in your work.
Director's Corner
National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Following Our Compass
October 07, 2022
SPRC invites you to join us in taking action to build on the progress we have made in bringing the goals and objectives of the National Strategy to life over the past decade.
Director's Corner
Recover Together
June 24, 2022
At SPRC, we believe in the power of words to help effect positive change, in people and the world around...
Director's Corner
Child Abuse Prevention Is Suicide Prevention
April 29, 2022
As pandemic disruptions stretch into a third year, creating supportive environments for children and families can help reduce the risk...
Director's Corner
Stepping Up and Affirming LGBTQI+ Youth
March 25, 2022
At the beginning of March, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra released a statement reaffirming HHS support and protection for...
Director's Corner
A Look Back at Director’s Corners in 2021
January 07, 2022
Child Abuse Prevention is Suicide Prevention The Power of Listening How to Be There The Healing Power of Representation End-of-Year...
Director's Corner
2021 End-of-Year Reflection
December 22, 2021
Friends, It is a wondrous fact that we are made of star material. I reflect on this and share it...
Director's Corner
The Healing Power of Representation
November 19, 2021
The Healing Power of Representation In mainstream media, American Indians and Alaska Natives are often portrayed as relics of the...
Director's Corner
How to Be There
September 17, 2021
In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, we asked members of SPRC’s Lived Experience Advisory Committee about their experiences with the power of human connection....
Director's Corner
We Wish to Call You by Your Name
August 06, 2021
Stories about missing children have been told by families for generations. If you are not familiar with the federal government’s...
Director's Corner
A Call for Collaboration: Community-Based Participatory Research
July 16, 2021
Learn how integrating lived experience in evidence-based practices can profoundly increase their impact.
Director's Corner
The Power of Listening
June 25, 2021
In honor of Pride Month, we had the pleasure of speaking with Sam Brinton about LGBTQ youth mental health and...
Director's Corner
Restoring Connections and Transitioning toward Hope
May 28, 2021
As social beings who anchor our sense of self through our relationships and measure our life’s journey by the changes...
Director's Corner
Building a Suicide Prevention Infrastructure
April 30, 2021
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show the national suicide rate decreased 2.1% between 2018...
Director's Corner
Child Abuse Prevention is Suicide Prevention
April 16, 2021
It is becoming more evident that preventing child maltreatment can help prevent suicide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, risk factors for...
Director's Corner
A Look Back at Director’s Corners in 2020
January 08, 2021
Black Lives Matter in Suicide Prevention Suicide Prevention in Schools: Strategies for COVID-19 A New Partnership for Suicide Prevention End-of-Year...
Director's Corner
2020 End-of-Year Reflection
December 18, 2020
Friends, As you reflect on the past year, what are you most grateful for? We at SPRC are grateful for...
Director's Corner
A New Partnership for Suicide Prevention
September 11, 2020
This Suicide Prevention Month, we have some good news to celebrate: the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has been funded...
Director's Corner
Suicide Prevention in Schools: Strategies for COVID-19
August 28, 2020
Addressing the mental health needs of students in school communities is more important than ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the...
Director's Corner
Black Lives Matter in Suicide Prevention
June 26, 2020
In recent weeks, we’ve seen painful reminders of the racism and violence that Black Americans and other communities of color experience on...
Director's Corner
A Look Back at Director’s Corners in 2019
January 03, 2020
About Us: Lived Experience as Lived Expertise The Suicide and Opioid Link: Translating Knowledge into Action Faith Communities as Suicide...
Director's Corner
Building a Lasting Foundation for Suicide Prevention
September 13, 2019
This Suicide Prevention Month, we are reaching out to those who are struggling and remembering those we’ve lost. It is...
Director's Corner
Faith Communities as Suicide Prevention Partners
July 12, 2019
Brandon Johnson, MHS; Melinda Moore, PhD Faith communities are an ideal setting to address suicide, promote help-seeking, and mobilize compassionate...
Director's Corner
Striking a Balance: A Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Data
June 14, 2019
To help inform prevention planning, suicide prevention practitioners have traditionally relied on suicide death data from vital records and CDC’s National...
Director's Corner
The Suicide and Opioid Link: Translating Knowledge into Action
May 10, 2019
The intersection between suicide and the opioid epidemic was front and center at this year’s American Association of Suicidology (AAS) annual conference, as...
Director's Corner
Supporting Survivors of Traumatic Events
April 12, 2019
A few weeks ago, we witnessed the tragic suicide deaths of several individuals who had been affected by school shootings....
Director's Corner
Depicting Suicide: Conveying Hope and Recovery in Entertainment
March 15, 2019
For more than 15 years, SPRC has helped connect prevention practitioners to the latest evidence and tools for safe and...
Director's Corner
About Us: Lived Experience as Lived Expertise
February 15, 2019
“Lived experience” is an important term in the suicide prevention community. People who have experienced a suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts,...
Director's Corner
Moving into a New Year
January 11, 2019
Happy New Year! As 2019 begins, please join us in pausing to reflect on some milestones from the past year...
Director's Corner
A Look Back at Director’s Corners in 2018
January 04, 2019
Addressing Despair through Partnerships—Elly Stout Recommended Standard Care for People with Suicide Risk: A Critical Step Forward—Colleen Carr More than...
Director's Corner
Talking about Lethal Means Safety in Health Care Settings
December 14, 2018
With new CDC data showing continued increases in suicide rates over the past 18 years, the public conversation is focusing more and...
Director's Corner
Honoring Indigenous Voices: Suicide Surveillance from a Tribal Perspective
November 09, 2018
November is National Native American Heritage Month—a time to celebrate the many important contributions of indigenous people, including their distinct history,...
Director's Corner
Addressing Suicide among Black Americans
October 05, 2018
Our national conversation about suicide prevention has included a recent focus on the increased risk of suicide among Black children...
Director's Corner
Speaking with One Voice for Suicide Prevention
September 07, 2018
It’s September, and that means we’re all marking Suicide Prevention Day/Week/Month—my 11th annual observance since joining SPRC in September 2007....
Director's Corner
Help the Helpers: Taking Time for Self-Care
August 10, 2018
I often reflect on how fortunate we are, in suicide prevention and related fields, to work with such compassionate people,...
Director's Corner
More than Mental Health: Reaching Men at Risk for Suicide
July 13, 2018
Amid all the news coverage about suicide in the past few weeks, you may have noticed a surprising new statistic from the...
Director's Corner
13 Reasons Why: An Opportunity for Prevention
June 08, 2018
Last year, the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why made quite an impact. Teens and young adults were mesmerized by a show that...
Director's Corner
Recommended Standard Care for People with Suicide Risk: A Critical Step Forward
May 18, 2018
People who are in distress or experiencing a suicidal crisis should be able to walk into any health care setting...
Director's Corner
Getting Comprehensive in Our Suicide Prevention Efforts
April 06, 2018
In my work with states, tribes, campuses, and institutions around the country, I’m often asked, “What program should I use...
Director's Corner
Technology and Suicide Risk: Moving Beyond Fear to Opportunity
March 02, 2018
Communication has changed in the 10 years since I started at SPRC, especially in our virtual lives. On my ride...
Director's Corner
Preventing Suicide in Primary Care: A Newly Updated Toolkit
February 09, 2018
Elizabeth Tupa, PhD; Adam Chu, MPH Primary care is a key setting for suicide prevention. Research has shown that individuals...
Director's Corner
Addressing Despair through Partnerships
January 12, 2018
We’ve known for many years that substance use and suicide are connected. But in recent years, that connection has grown...
Director's Corner
A Look Back at Director’s Corners in 2017
January 05, 2018
One Issue, One Goal—Jerry Reed Changing the Story—Jarrod Hindman Get Ready for School—Jerry Reed Start with What You Know: Using...
Director's Corner
Start with What You Know: Using Data for Suicide Prevention
December 01, 2017
As we approach the 18th anniversary of the first National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, that document’s strategic direction on data and...
Director's Corner
Help SPRC Help You
November 03, 2017
Elly Stout, MS, SPRC Director, Education Development Center, Inc. In my first Director’s Corner, I’m asking for your feedback: help...
Director's Corner
Passing the Torch
October 06, 2017
In my final Director’s Corner, I would like to introduce you to SPRC’s new director, Elly Stout. Although new to...
Director's Corner
Faith, Hope, & Life
September 08, 2017
September is the month when those of us who work in suicide prevention make a special effort to reach out...
Director's Corner
Get Ready for School
August 04, 2017
August is a time when many people head to the beach or mountains to take a well-deserved break from their...
Director's Corner
Looking Past the Complexity
July 07, 2017
We often describe suicide as a complex problem that requires complex solutions. But sometimes a simple gesture can make a...
Director's Corner
Sustaining Success
June 02, 2017
Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) staff have had the privilege of working with Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (GLS) grantees for the...
Director's Corner
Learning from California
May 05, 2017
This month, I am proud to announce the publication of Creating Linguistically and Culturally Competent Suicide Prevention Materials. This new SPRC...
Director's Corner
Changing the Story
April 07, 2017
I’m a commuter. Twenty-five miles and approximately an hour (two or three when it snows) one way every day for...
Director's Corner
Changing the Prevention Paradigm
March 03, 2017
In 2012, I had the honor of working with former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and a strong and able team...
Director's Corner
One Issue, One Goal
February 03, 2017
In January, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) announced that it will join with others to reduce the annual...
Director's Corner
Community Interventions to Reduce Suicide in Later Life
January 06, 2017
We in the field of suicide prevention have worked hard to educate health care providers, policymakers, and the public about...
Director's Corner
Preventing Suicide among Men in the Middle Years
December 02, 2016
In gatekeeper training, we learn to ask a hard question: Have you been thinking about suicide? I would like to...
Director's Corner
Senator Harry Reid: A Lifetime of Service to Suicide Prevention
November 04, 2016
When the 114th Congress adjourns in January, it will mark the end of the congressional career of Senator Harry Reid...
Director's Corner
Mental Health Courts: Raising the Bar for Suicide Prevention
October 07, 2016
In 1997, Broward County Florida established the first mental health court in the United States. This court was created to...
Director's Corner
Changing the Conversation
September 02, 2016
September is an important month for suicide prevention. World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10, 2016) and National Suicide Prevention Week...
Director's Corner, Weekly Spark
Working with Native Communities
August 04, 2016
To effectively prevent suicide among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), we must learn to appreciate the uniqueness and build...
Director's Corner
The New SPRC.org
July 08, 2016
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) is proud to announce the launch of its new website, which was designed to...
Director's Corner
Prevention-Oriented Suicide Risk Assessment: Planning Not Prediction
May 05, 2016
Most clinicians-in-training learn to summarize suicide risk in a categorical probability judgment expressed as low, moderate, or high, often with...
Director's Corner
Will 2016 Be the Year Our Candidates Get Serious About Mental Health and Addiction?
April 07, 2016
Originally published February 23, 2016 on Medium.com Presidential candidates from both political parties have told stories about friends and family...
Director's Corner
Charting a Course for Suicide Prevention
March 03, 2016
Originally published February 11, 2016 on EDC.org Making the connection between mental health, substance abuse, and suicide prevention If EDC’s...
Director's Corner
Protecting Your Patients and Yourself
February 04, 2016
Zero Suicide represents a commitment to identify, protect, and treat people who are at risk of suicide. Central to this...
Director's Corner
Identity as Strength among LGBTQ Youth
January 07, 2016
LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers....
Director's Corner
Overcoming Fear Together
December 03, 2015
Although the field of suicide prevention has made enormous strides in recognizing the contributions of people with lived experience, it...
Director's Corner
International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day
November 06, 2015
Saturday, November 21, 2015 is this year’s International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. This observance began in 1999 when Senator Harry...
Director's Corner
New Resource Helps Senior Centers Promote Behavioral Health and Prevent Suicide
October 01, 2015
Suicide takes a tremendous toll on older adults, particularly men over the age of 65. Yet the number of older...
Director's Corner
Preventing Suicide: Reaching Out and Saving Lives
September 03, 2015
September brings with it two important opportunities to celebrate our progress in suicide prevention and to raise awareness that much...
Director's Corner
Champions, Catalyzers, and Cultivators
July 01, 2015
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) continues to work toward fulfilling a vision of a nation free from the...
Director's Corner
Postvention as Prevention
May 07, 2015
The term “postvention” is a great example of suicide prevention jargon that means little to those outside the field and...
Director's Corner
Progress and Promise
April 07, 2015
The suicide rate in the United States has remained fairly constant since the end of World War II. This has...
Director's Corner
Toward Zero Suicide: The Essential Role of Data
March 05, 2015
Zero Suicide is a systematic approach to preventing suicide in health care and behavioral health settings. The Zero Suicide approach...
Director's Cornerc
Working Together to Prevent Suicide and Intimate Partner Violence
February 05, 2015
Last summer I had the privilege of participating in a SAMHSA-sponsored Technical Expert Panel on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and...
Director's Corner
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: The First Ten Years
January 05, 2015
The tenth anniversary of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides an opportunity to look back and ask “What have we...
Director's Corner
Introducing the SPARK Talks
December 15, 2014
I am pleased to be able to use this Director’s Corner to introduce the SPARK Talks, a new and special resource...
Director's Corner
Suicide in Late Life: Unique Factors and Enduring Treatment Gaps
October 07, 2014
Suicide among older adults (individuals 65+) is a major public health concern. While the overall suicide rate among older adults...
Director's Corner
Connecting for Suicide Prevention
September 04, 2014
The theme of this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day/National Suicide Prevention Week is Suicide Prevention: One World Connected. The importance...
Director's Corner
The Framework for Successful Messaging
August 08, 2014
Each September, World Suicide Prevention Day and National Suicide Prevention Week provide special opportunities to bring our message of prevention...
Director's Corner
Success and Inspiration at the Zero Suicide Academy
July 07, 2014
From June 26-27, 2014, SPRC was honored to host the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s first Zero Suicide Academy....
Weekly Spark
A Decade of Service
June 04, 2014
On June 3, 2014, Senator Gordon H. Smith stepped down as the private sector co-chair of the National Action Alliance...
Director's Corner
Moving Forward with Attempt Survivors
April 30, 2014
The suicide attempt survivor movement had its origins in courageous acts of self-disclosure by a small number of pioneers who...
Director's Corner
Learning from California
April 07, 2014
Anara lives and works in California The State of California has a long history of innovation in suicide prevention. In...
Director's Corner
A New Research Agenda for Suicide Prevention
March 07, 2014
Director, NIMH More than 38,000 Americans died by suicide in 2010, the most recent year for which we have national...
Director's Corner
A Vision for Research
March 07, 2014
Private Sector Co-lead, Research Prioritization Task Force, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention; Representative, National Council for Suicide Prevention; Chair...
Director's Corner
From Awareness to Action
February 07, 2014
It’s time to talk about the big picture. The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention has set an aspirational goal...
Director's Corner
Crisis Lines
January 06, 2014
This story begins with a sign. In November, 2013, I was at the Trenton, New Jersey Amtrak Station waiting to...
Director's Corner
Zero Suicide
December 06, 2013
For the past four years, SPRC has served as the Executive Secretariat for the Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The...
Director's Corner
90 Percent
November 07, 2013
In September I attended the International Association for Suicide Prevention 2013 World Congress in Oslo, Norway. More than 800 delegates...
Director's Corner
Beyond Rhetoric: Does It Get Better?
October 04, 2013
Everything changed when the attention of the media was captured by several highly visible youth suicides that seemed to be...
Director's Corner
The Enduring Legacy of My Son, Garrett
September 09, 2013
Today, September 9, brings to mind some of the most wonderful times in my life and also the saddest. You...
Director's Corner
Suicide in the Middle Years
July 08, 2013
In May, researchers from the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reported that “the annual, age-adjusted suicide rate...
Director's Corner
The Role of Primary Prevention
June 06, 2013
When we talk about suicide prevention, we usually refer to “prevention" writ large, meaning anything and everything we do to...
Director's Corner
Voices That Inspire
May 02, 2013
This month I would like to look back on the important role that survivors of suicide loss have played in...
Director's Corner
Update on Military Suicide Prevention
April 04, 2013
On March 21, I had the privilege of testifying before Congress during an Update on Military Suicide Prevention called by...
Director's Corner
Advancing Peer Support in Suicide Prevention
March 08, 2013
Peer support has long been recognized as important in prevention. Those bereaved by suicide loss – that is, the family...
Director's Corner
Promoting Connectedness among Older Adults
February 07, 2013
Yeates Conwell, MD, Co-Director, Injury Control Research Center for Suicide Prevention, University of Rochester Medical Center and member of the...
Director's Corner
Our Next Big Challenge: Bringing Best Practices to Scale
January 08, 2013
The field of suicide prevention has made great strides in documenting best practices. As of September 2012, there were 106...
Director's Corner
Suicide Prevention Resource Center Celebrates Tenth Anniversary
October 18, 2012
Ten years ago, in October 2002, the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) was established with funding from SAMHSA. Its...
Director's Corner
A New National Strategy...Now What?
September 13, 2012
This year we celebrate Suicide Prevention Week with revitalized purpose as we welcome a new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention....
Director's Corner
NFL Demonstrates We All Have a Role to Play in Advancing Suicide Prevention
July 31, 2012
As a member of the Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, I am honored to be a part of a pioneering effort...
Director's Corner
How Far We’ve Come
July 03, 2012
I entered the field of suicide prevention in 1996 when, after fourteen years as a civil servant with the Department...
Director's Corner
A Big Step Forward
May 11, 2012
On March 29, 2012, Governor Christine Gregoire of Washington State signed into law the Matt Adler Suicide Assessment, Treatment & Management...
Director's Corner
There Are No Simple Solutions
March 16, 2012
I have the privilege of co-chairing with Dr. Regina Benjamin, our nation’s Surgeon General, the Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention...
Director's Corner
The Integration of Public Health and Mental Health in Suicide Prevention
January 15, 2012
As we begin a new year, I find myself thinking about what important new steps we in the field of...
Director's Corner
National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention: Reflections on a Groundbreaking Year
December 02, 2011
I would like to occasionally give the readership a chance to hear from some of the wonderful staff we have...
Director's Corner
A Teachable Moment - Update
October 07, 2011
“How much louder does the public’s concern and outcry have to be before reason prevails?” These are the words of Steve Stuban,...
Director's Corner
Systems of Care for Suicide Prevention: Changing the Story
October 06, 2011
I would like to occasionally give the readership a chance to hear from some of the wonderful staff we have...
Director's Corner
What are you doing for Suicide Prevention Week and World Suicide Prevention Day?
September 02, 2011
The week of September 4-10, 2011 is designated as Suicide Prevention Week in the United States. On September 10, 2011,...
Director's Corner
When You Need Care, Can You Get Care?
August 03, 2011
I recently read an article that pointed out that psychiatric care is hard to find, even for those with insurance. Researchers posed...
Jerry Reed
A Teachable Moment for Schools - An Update
July 06, 2011
“How much louder does the public’s concern and outcry have to be before reason prevails?” These are the words of Steve Stuban,...
Director's Corner
The Next Frontier
June 01, 2011
As I reflect on our efforts to prevent suicide, I can see how much is being done to advance the...
Director's Corner
National Strategy for Suicide Prevention Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary
May 04, 2011
I have said many times that the annual American Association of Suicidology Conference is where our community meets. This year...
Director's Corner
A Teachable Moment for Schools
April 06, 2011
You may not know the name Nick Stuban. Nick, a 15-year-old student in Fairfax County, Virginia, died by suicide in...
Director's Corner
One Team, One Fight: Learning from Military Suicide Prevention
March 02, 2011
As someone who served in the U.S. Navy many years ago and spent 15 years as Department of the Army...
Director's Corner
Action Alliance Moves Field Forward
February 03, 2011
For those of us in the suicide prevention community, September 10, 2010 was a day we had worked long and...
Director's Corner
Pause and Ponder
January 05, 2011
Over the past few months, the U.S. press paid much attention to several dramatic incidents in which gay youth who...