Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and nearly 5% of American adults have reportedly had serious thoughts about suicide. Sadly, there was a 3.6% increase in suicide deaths between 2020 and 2021.

With more people facing mental health challenges in the last few years, organizational leaders must be proactive in providing suicide prevention resources for anyone who may be at risk.

Suicide prevention training for employees is particularly important for organizations such as behavioral health care providers and schools that serve vulnerable populations. These organizations should have proven suicide prevention resources, programs, and procedures to mitigate this serious risk.

Best Practices for Suicide Prevention

Organizational leaders and risk managers must be aware of current best practices available from suicide prevention organizations that can help protect the individuals they serve.

Suicides touch all areas of society. However, some organizations work with higher-risk individuals, including:

• Health care providers, especially those involved in behavioral health

• Substance abuse treatment programs

• Social work and foster care organizations

• Counseling entities

• Schools

• Residential and hospitality sites

Your organization should evaluate its current suicide prevention procedures, including:

• Staff training: Are staff required to take suicide prevention and awareness training? Are employees and volunteers able to identify suicide risk factors?

• Screening for suicide risk: Is there a prescribed process to identify at-risk individuals?

• Education: Are suicide prevention resources available to at-risk individuals? These should include personal warning signs, information on coping mechanisms and problem-solving, and where help is available, such as suicide prevention hotlines. Other family members, friends, or caretakers should also be made aware of warning signs and how to seek help.

• Response program: Is there a plan or are there procedures in place to approach and assist individuals who show warning signs?

• Referral resources: Is there a seamless process for referring at-risk individuals to other experienced facilities if they cannot be served at your organization?

• Financial resources: Does the organization have dedicated monetary and professional/staff resources set aside to address any issues?

• Documentation: Does the organization keep formal, written records for validating evaluations, tracking progress, and supporting any decisions made? Documentation should also be kept of screenings, suicide prevention training, and referrals.

Suicide Prevention Resources and Tools Available from Philadelphia Insurance Companies

PHLY has partnered with the Education Development Center (EDC) and Zero Suicide to develop a suicide prevention resource guide. This guide is designed to help organizations identify the most valuable suicide prevention resources for their operation.

Each section of the guide begins with resources for systemic efforts to prevent suicide and includes more specific tools for recognizing and responding to suicidal behaviors in individuals. Many of these resources are available at no cost.

Additional Suicide Prevention Resources

• The CDC's Suicide Prevention site provides a variety of resources and information, including a section on support for teens and young adults.

• The National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) website provides information, including statistics and data, as well as a Suicide Prevention site that discusses signs and symptoms, risk factors, and ongoing research.

• The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has an online library of resources including tools, fact sheets, and reports.

Veterans organizations can find resources on the VA website for mental health.

If you, or someone you know, are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) by dialing 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). The services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 800-799-4889. All calls are confidential. Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about a friend's social media updates, or dial 911 in an emergency.

The Veterans Crisis Line also offers a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text messaging service for service members and veterans in crisis, as well as their family members and friends, and is ready to help. Dial 800-273-8255 and press 1 to talk to someone or send a text message to 838255 to connect with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) responders. You can also start a confidential online chat session at veteranscrisisline.net/get-help/chat.