A national survey reveals that the vast majority of American adults recognize suicide as a pressing public health issue, with over 60% having been personally impacted by it. The findings underscore the need for greater access to mental health resources and improved education around suicide prevention. Suicide prevention has become an increasingly critical focus for policymakers and public health experts.
Suicide — How it Affects Everyone Personally
An alarming 61% of U.S. adults said they knew someone who had considered, attempted or died by suicide, per the 2024 Public Perception of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Poll This has been a consistent increase from 53% in 2018 and 55% in the last year.
Other key findings were that 25 per cent of adults have had thoughts of suicide or attempted to take their own life. This illustrates the deep, personal toll of suicide on Americans in every state. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, senior vice president of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention commented, “The fact that 15% have reached out is really extraordinary and shows that people are willing to reach out in a time of crisis.
Vast Support of Suicide-Prevention
When it comes to addressing this critical issue, nearly 93 percent of survey respondents agree that there is a need for more action to prevent deaths by suicide. Public areas of focus include mental health as a widespread issue and need for greater care access, increased education for healthcare providers, and better awareness of the public about prevention campaigns from suicide.
Colleen Carr, of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, emphasized that we must “harness” this public sentiment and convert it into specific policy action and improvements to systems. “We have big desires from the public for this to be something that is a top priority, but we need to match that top desire with education and outreach and then policy- and system-level change associated with those,” she said.
Problems with Awareness and Use of Resources for Suicide Prevention.
Although recent measures like the establishment of a nationwide 988 suicide hotline by Congress, as well as from the Biden administration to improve availability to suicide prevention services have tried to reach more people on these initiatives, public perception and comprehension of such efforts are varied.
In 2022, the awareness of the service rose from 57% to 63%, but only one in three adults knew what it is for. Respondents expressed concerns about having to pay for the service, getting it covered by insurance and availability of local services as access inhibitors.
In addition, a mere 45% of adults had heard of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention — a Decade of Research Blueprint drafted by the Department of Health and Human Services — and just 23% knew what it was about. The study concluded that these results suggest a continued need to effectively disseminate and promote suicide prevention resources to the public.
