For the first time, in 2024, the National Strategy takes a “whole of government” approach. It was developed in collaboration with a federal Interagency Work Group, consisting of over 20 agencies and offices in 10 departments across the federal government. Support came from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), guided by a project management team co-led by officials at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alongside the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE/HHS). Input and feedback from outside of the federal government came from a national needs assessment reaching more than 2,000 respondents and multiple listening sessions with people with lived experience, populations disproportionately affected by suicide, community members, practitioners, and suicide prevention experts.

The 2024 National Strategy builds upon the previous 2012 National Strategy. It addresses gaps and incorporates advances in the field. It specifically addresses health equity, youth and social media, and the intersection of suicide and substance use. Other examples of new content include the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, expanded workplace suicide prevention, and an increased focus on social determinants of health. These topics are addressed within the National Strategy’s four Strategic Directions-Community-Based Suicide Prevention; Treatment and Crisis Services; Surveillance, Quality Improvement, and Research; and Health Equity in Suicide Prevention—and related Goals.

Contents

• Dedication
• Preface from the Surgeon General
• From the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
• From the National Council for Suicide Prevention
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• STRATEGIC DIRECTION 1. Community-Based Suicide Prevention
  • GOAL 1. Establish effective, broad-based, collaborative, and sustainable suicide prevention partnerships
  • GOAL 2. Support upstream comprehensive community-based suicide prevention
  • GOAL 3. Reduce access to lethal means among people at risk of suicide
  • GOAL 4. Conduct postvention and support people with suicide-centered lived experience
  • GOAL 5. Integrate Suicide prevention into the culture of the workplace and into other community settings
  • GOAL 6. Build and sustain suicide prevention infrastructure at the state, tribal, local, and territorial levels
  • GOAL 7. Implement research-informed suicide prevention communication activities in diverse populations using best practices from communication science
• STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2. Treatment and Crisis Services
  • GOAL 8. Implement effective suicide prevention services as a core component of health care
  • GOAL 9. Improve the quality and accessibility of crisis care services across all communities
• STRATEGIC DIRECTION 3. Surveillance, Quality Improvement, and Research
  • GOAL 10. Improve the quality, timeliness, scope, usefulness, and accessibility of data needed for suicide-related surveillance, research, evaluation, and quality improvement
  • GOAL 11. Promote and support research on suicide prevention
• STRATEGIC DIRECTION 4. Health Equity in Suicide Prevention
  • GOAL 12. Embed health equity into all comprehensive suicide prevention activities
  • GOAL 13. Implement comprehensive suicide prevention strategies for populations disproportionately affected by suicide, with a focus on historically marginalized communities, persons with suicide-centered lived experience, and youth
  • GOAL 14. Create an equitable and diverse suicide prevention workforce that is equipped and supported to address the needs of the communities they serve
  • GOAL 15. Improve and expand effective suicide prevention programs for populations disproportionately impacted by suicide across the life span through improved data, research, and evaluation
• APPENDIX A. Glossary
• APPENDIX B. National Strategy for Suicide Prevention Goals and Objectives
• APPENDIX C. Differences between the 2012 and 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
• APPENDIX D. 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention Methodology
• APPENDIX E. A Brief History of Suicide Prevention in the United States from 2012 to 2023
• APPENDIX F. Timeline 2012-2024
• APPENDIX G. Disparities in Suicide
• APPENDIX H. Acknowledgments
• APPENDIX I. References
• APPENDIX J. Accessible Descriptions for Complex Figures

Suggested citation:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Washington, DC: HHS, April 2024.