Suicide Prevention

Suicide is a complex and serious public health challenge. Suicide is not merely an individual issue, but rather a public health issue rooted in communities. The earlier prevention measures can be put into place, the greater the positive impact in communities. Effective public health strategies create a network of protective community resources to improve overall health, while also ensuring that those struggling with suicide have access to responsive care and affirming interventions.

Efforts must emphasize strategies that impact factors that may contribute to suicide including substance abuse, interpersonal violence, adverse childhood experiences, opioid misuse, involvement in the courts and criminal justice system, and economic instability.

Focusing on impacting protective priorities such as economic stability and supports, behavioral health, positive social norms and connectedness can reduce the onset of suicidal behavior. These strategies support policies and programs to create healthy, thriving and resilient communities free from suicide, violence, and injury (see examples below). Prevention strategies aimed at addressing shared protective factors can break down silos that often exist between suicide, injury, violence and substance abuse prevention, influencing multiple outcomes at the same time.

Social Norms:

  • Spread of positive social norms around help-seeking and preventative mental health care.

  • Early social-emotional learning programs.

Economic Stability and Supports:

  • Increase enrollment in SNAP and WIC.

  • Increase access to affordable childcare and housing.

  • Increase liveable wages.

  • Paid family leave.

Connectedness Strategy Examples:

  • Adoption and active support of gay-straight alliances within schools.

  • Increase community spaces for safe and inclusive events.

  • Sources of Strength within youth-serving organizations.

Suicide prevention does not happen in a vacuum. Suicide prevention strategies like the ones above, and factors correlated with suicide can impact other forms of violence and injury at once. For example, data from the Colorado Violent Death Reporting System (2013-2017) indicate that for suicide decedents ages 20 and over:

  • Nearly 40% had an identified intimate partner problem deemed contributing to their suicide.

  • Over 20% had a family relationship problem.

  • Nearly 20% had a contributing job problem.

  • Nearly 17% had a contributing financial problem, and 8.2% were facing eviction or loss of their home.

For those ages 35-74, nearly 10% had recently experienced the loss of a friend or family member; and for those ages 75 and over, 31% were widowed.


State Resources:


National Resources: