New National Strategy for Suicide Prevention Reflects Today’s Challenges

The Pew Charitable Trusts

A recent interview highlights what’s new about the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (National Strategy), which came out in April. According to Colleen Carr, director of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the 2024 National Strategy is different from the 2012 document in its focus on health equity and addressing the disproportionate impact of suicide on some population groups.

The new National Strategy also includes more guidance on youth and social media as well as the intersection of suicide and substance use. It incorporates the latest research on risk and protective factors and encourages the engagement of people with suicide-centered lived experience in all prevention efforts. In its recommendations for expanding crisis services, the new strategy builds on the progress made by the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

In addition to a specific focus on crisis care, the National Strategy also highlights the important role of health care systems more broadly. According to Carr, the new strategy calls for developing and implementing standard protocols to identify and treat people with suicide risk and provide follow-up care and support. The new strategy also highlights the importance of improving suicide data collection and analysis to help direct prevention efforts where they are needed most.