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Tag: suicide prevention

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Suicide Prevention Awareness Month logo.
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September is Suicide Prevention Month and provides an opportunity to raise awareness about suicide and suicidal ideation (thoughts of suicide). If you, or someone you know, has thoughts of suicide, immediate help is available. Call, text, or chat 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor.

Like other mental health conditions, suicidal thoughts can impact anyone. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), one in twenty adults (5%) has serious thoughts of suicide each year. In the United States, suicide is the second leading cause of death in people between 10 and 24 years old, and is the 11th leading cause of death overall (NAMI, 2025). Physicians have an increased risk of suicide and suicidal ideation compared to the general population because of “high workload volume and medical errors” (AMA, 2025). Physicians are also less likely to seek help when experiencing suicidal ideation (AMA, 2025). A recent study published in JAMA found that non-physician health care workers, including nurses, health technicians, and health care support workers, are also at increased risk of suicide compared to the general population (Olfson et al., 2023). 

The warning signs of suicide can include talking about wanting to die, feeling empty and hopeless, withdrawing from friends or loved ones, and/or taking dangerous risks. The infographic below from the NIH National Institute of Mental Health includes additional warning signs. If you or someone you know is experiencing these warning signs, get help by contacting the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988!

warning-signs-of-suicide

If you are interested in learning more about suicide prevention, Himmelfarb Library has a Suicide and Suicidology Collection that includes numerous books on this topic. Notable titles from this collection include:

References:

American Medical Association (AMA). (August 7, 2025). Preventing physician suicide. https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/preventing-physician-suicide

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). (2025). Suicide Prevention Month. https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Suicide-Prevention-Month/

Olfson, M., Cosgrove, C. M., Wall, M. M., & Blanco, C. (2023). Suicide risks of health care workers in the US. JAMA, 330(12), 1161–1166. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.15787

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Image of diverse group of people talking. Text about raising awareness for suicide prevention & treatment.
Image from the National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/awareness-resources/

September is Suicide Prevention Month - making it a good opportunity to raise awareness about suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, immediate help is available. Call, text, or chat 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor.

Just like other mental health conditions, suicidal thoughts can impact anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022, equating to one death every eleven minutes (CDC, 2024a). Between 2000 and 2018, suicide rates increased by 37%, and returned to their peak in 2022 following a brief decline between 2018 to 2020 (CDC, 2024a). 

Knowing the risk factors of suicidal ideation and behavior is important for everyone. According to a 2016 review published in The Lancet, “approximately 45% of individuals who die by suicide consult a primary care physician within one month of death, yet there is rarely documentation of physician inquiry or patient disclosure” of suicidal ideation or behavior (Turecki, & Brent, 2016). 

While many individuals with suicidal ideation do not attempt suicide (Dlonsky, et al., 2016), recognizing the risk factors can help you identify someone in need of help and help you find the help they need. According to the CDC, factors that contribute to suicide risk range from individual, relationship, community, and societal factors and can include, but are not limited to the following:

Individual Risk Factors:

  • Previous suicide attempt
  • History of depression and other mental illness
  • Serious illness 
  • Job or financial problems
  • Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
  • Sense of hopelessness

Relationship Risk Factors:

  • Bullying
  • Family or loved one’s history of suicide
  • Loss of relationships
  • Social isolation
  • High-conflict or violent relationships

Community Risk Factors:

  • Lack of access to healthcare
  • Community violence
  • Historical trauma
  • Discrimination

Societal Risk Factors:

  • Stigma associated with seeking help and mental illness
  • Easy access to lethal means of suicide 
  • Unsafe media portrayals of suicide

(CDC, 2024b)

Some factors can protect people from experiencing suicidal ideation and behavior. These include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Effective coping and problem-solving skills
  • Strong sense of cultural identity
  • Support from loved ones
  • Feeling connected to others
  • Feeling connected to school, community, and social institutions
  • Availability of high-quality physical and behavioral healthcare

If you are interested in learning more about suicide prevention, Himmelfarb Library has a Suicide and Suicidology Collection that includes numerous books on this topic. Notable books from this collection include: 

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024a). Suicide data and statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024b). Risk and protective factors for suicide. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/risk-factors/index.html

Klonsky, E. D., May, A. M., & Saffer, B. Y. (2016). Suicide, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation. Annual review of clinical psychology, 12, 307–330. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093204

Turecki, G., & Brent, D. A. (2016). Suicide and suicidal behaviour. Lancet (London, England), 387(10024), 1227–1239. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00234-2

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Picture of a sign that says "You Matter. Text. Call. Chat. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline."

Mental health is a vital contributor to our overall physical health and well-being. However, the stigma surrounding mental health can prevent us from seeking out resources and reaching out for help during times of mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs support, help and resources are available. Please know that you matter. You are not alone.

Suicide Prevention Resources:

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: The Lifeline provides 24/7 access to free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources, and best practices information for health and mental health professionals.
  • Student Health Center (SHC): If you are thinking about suicide, call 202-994-5300 (option 2). Counselors are available 24 hours a day. If you believe someone you know is in danger of suicide, call GW Emergency Services at 202-994-6111, 911, or seek help at the nearest Emergency Room.
  • National Suicide Prevention Resources:
  • District of Columbia Suicide Helpline:

Resources for Students: 

  • GW Listens: This student-run anonymous hotline (202-902-8255) is a place where students can talk to peers about struggles. Hotline hours are from Sunday through Thursday, from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am.
  • Student Health Center (SHC): If you are thinking about suicide, call 202-994-5300 (option 2). Counselors are available 24 hours a day. If you believe someone you know is in danger of suicide, call GW Emergency Services at 202-994-6111, 911, or seek help at the nearest Emergency Room.
  • TimelyCare: All GW students have free, 24/7 access to virtual care services with TimelyCare, a virtual health and well-being platform designed for college students.
  • Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): Part of the Colonial Health Center, CAPS is GW’s center for mental health treatment. Telehealth and in-person counseling appointments are available.

Resources for Medical Residents and Fellows:

Resources for GW Employees:

Himmelfarb Library Mental Health Resources:

Himmelfarb’s Healthy Living @ Himmelfarb Collection includes several mental health-focused titles including:

Take Care of Yourself and Those Around You

While it’s vital to take care of your mental health, it’s equally important to look out for one another. Check in with your friends, colleagues, and loved ones. Listen without judgment and offer support as you are able. Mental health involves taking care of yourself and those around you.

If someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, reach out for help. Take advantage of the resources listed in this post. Don’t forget that the GW Resilience and Well-Being Center and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988 for help) are always available.

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Image of scrabble tiles that spell out "Mental Health" and a leaf on the upper right side.
Photo by Total Shape on Unsplash

Mental health is an essential part of overall physical health and well-being. Yet, the stigma surrounding mental health prevents many people from seeking help when they experience mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs support, there are resources available to help.

Suicide Prevention Resources:

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: The Lifeline provides 24/7 access to free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources, and best practices information for health and mental health professionals.
  • Student Health Center (SHC): If you are thinking about suicide, call 202-994-5300 (option 2). Counselors are available 24 hours a day. If you think someone you know is in danger of suicide, call GW Emergency Services at 202-994-6111, call 911, or seek help at the nearest Emergency Room.
  • National Suicide Prevention Resources:
  • District of Columbia Suicide Helpline:

Resources for Students:

  • Anxiety Toolbox: This virtual workshop consists of three, one-hour sessions for students who want to gain an understanding of anxiety and learn skills to recognize and manage anxiety symptoms. 
  • AcademicLiveCare: AcademicLiveCare offers unlimited, no-cost virtual telehealth appointments for full-time GW students. Available visit options include on-demand urgent care, and scheduled appointments for psychiatry, therapy, and nutrition counseling.
  • Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): Part of the Colonial Health Center, CAPS is GW’s center for mental health treatment. Telehealth and in-person counseling appointments are available. 
  • SilverCloud: All GW students have free access to SilverCloud’s Digital Mental Wellbeing Platform, which is fully confidential and available 24/7. Programs address a wide range of mental health challenges including stress, depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
  • GW Listens: This student-run anonymous hotline (202-902-8255) is a place where students can talk to peers about struggles. Hotline hours are from Sunday through Thursday, from 9:00pm to 1:00am.

Resources for Medical Residents and Fellows:

Resources for GW Employees:

Himmelfarb Library Mental Health Resources:

Himmelfarb’s Healthy Living @ Himmelfarb Collection includes a number of mental health-focused titles including:

Taking care of your mental health is an essential part of physical health. Make your mental health a priority and take advantage of the resources available to you. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Everyone faces their own mental health struggles, and there is no shame in asking for help and relying on available resources when needed.

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Image of signs posted behind a chain link fence. Signs read: "Don't give up" "You are not alone" "You matter"
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

Himmelfarb Library recently expanded our collection of suicide and suicidology books with the help of a generous gift from Dr.Seymour Perlin, MD, and his wife Ruth Perlin. Dr. Perlin was a professor of psychiatry and the director of GW’s psychiatry residency program from 1977 to 1998. Two books included in this collection were written by Dr. Perlin and were donated by Dr. Perlin.

Image of the book cover of A Handbook for the Understanding of Suicide by Dr. Seymour Perlin.

A Handbook for the Understanding of Suicide, written and donated by Dr. Perlin, is available in the book stacks on the basement level (call number: HV6545 .H27 1994). This book reviews a wide range of information from a variety of disciplines on suicide. It offers historical, literary, philosophical, and social science points of view in addition to a psychiatric discussion of suicidal behavior. A Handbook for the Study of Suicide, also written and donated by Dr. Perlin, is available in the books stacks (HV6545 .H27 1979). 

A full list of the items purchased for this collection is available on our New Books collection page. Here’s a brief overview of the available titles:

  • Advancing Suicide Research (Kairi Kõlves, Merike Sisask, Peeter Värnik, Airi Värnik, and Diego DeLeo): Written by leading researchers in the field, this is a comprehensive toolbox of current best practices in suicide research, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research in suicide prevention from a public health perspective. Proper use of epidemiological measures and study designs, definitional issues, historical background, and ethical aspects of suicide research are also discussed. Location: Book stacks. Call number: HV6545 .A38 2021
  • Alternatives to Suicide: Beyond Risk and Toward a Life Worth Living (Andrew C. Page and Werner Stritzke): This book illustrates how fostering resilience and a desire for life can broaden and advance an understanding of suicide. Summarizing the existing literature, this book outlines a new focus on the interplay of risk and resilience that leads to a life-focus approach to suicide prevention. Emerging technologies and advances in data analytics using real-time monitoring of suicide dynamics and their use in suicide research and prevention are also covered. Location: Book stacks. Call Number: HV6545 .A48 2020.
  • The American Psychiatric Association Publishing Textbook of Suicide Risk Assessment and Management (written by Liza Gold, and Richard Frierson): This e-book offers new perspectives on suicide including medical and social use of destigmatizing and more precise language and covers issues related to suicide including suicide risk factors and their clinical implications, nonfatal, self-injurious behavior, physician-assisted suicide, and teaching suicide risk assessment and management as part of psychiatric residency programs. Increased suicide rates among specific populations are also examined.
  • Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir (Marsha Lienhan): In this memoir, author Marsha Lienhan details her journey from a suicidal teenager to a world-renowned developer of life-saving behavioral therapy dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), using her own struggle to develop life skills for others. Location: Book stacks. Call Number: RJ506.S9 L56 2020.
  • Community Interventions to Prevent Veteran Suicide: The role of Social Determinants (Laura Yoder, rapporteur): This electronic conference proceeding summarizes the presentations and discussion of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine March 2022 symposium with the same title. Relevant social, cultural, and economic factors that influence suicide risk among veterans are discussed. Applications for applying current suicide prevention best practices and treatment at a community level are also explored.
  • Managing Suicidal Risk: A Collaborative Approach (David A. Jobes and Marsha Linehan, foreward): This e-book provides essential tools and guidance for assessing and treating a suicidal patient. Step-by-step instructions and forms for evaluating suicidal risk, developing a suicide-specific outpatient treatment plan, and tracking clinical progress and outcomes are provided.
  • The Oxford Handbook of Suicide and Self-Injury (Matthew Nock): This book is available in print and electronically. This comprehensive handbook provides a summary of the most important and exciting advances in suicide and self-injury and the ability to predict and prevent it. Print Copy Location: New Book Shelf (Himmelfarb 1st Floor). Call Number: HV6545 .O9394 2014.
  • Physician Suicide: Cases and Commentaries (Peter Yellowlees): Available in print and electronically, this book explores the culture of medical training and practice, burnout, anxiety, depression, and addiction can lead to suicide among physicians through fictional cases. Ways to mitigate these factors and improve physician health and well-being are explored and case studies are accompanied by literature reviews with resources for further reading. Print Copy Location: New Book Shelf. Call Number: R690 .Y45 2019.
  • Preventing Suicide: The Solution Focused Approach (John Henden): This e-book explores secondary suicide prevention, evidence-based solution-focused brief therapy, risk assessment, management, and medication. This new edition takes an empathetic and validating approach to work with individuals considering suicide.
  • Suicidal Behavior (Richard T. McKeon): This new edition explores the latest approaches to the assessment and treatment of suicidal behavior. Topics covered include epidemiological data, the role of opioid use problems, personality disorders, and trauma play in suicide. Location: Book Stacks. Call Number: RC569 .M41 2022
  • Suicide Assessment and Treatment Planning: A Strengths-Based Approach (John Sommers-Flanagan, Rita Sommers-Flanagan): This e-book provides a holistic, wellness-oriented approach to understanding suicide and working effectively with individuals who are suicidal. A culturally sensitive, seven-dimension model offers methods to collaboratively integrate solution-focused and strengths-based strategies into clinical interactions and treatment planning. Case studies, practitioner guidance, personal and professional self-care techniques, ethical issues, and counselor competencies are included.
  • Suicide Prevention: An Ethically and Scientifically Informed Approach (Samuel Knapp): Offering essential information about assessing, managing, and providing mental health treatment for suicidal adult outpatients, this book guides the reader through the process of treating suicidal patients, from screening to relapse prevention. Location: Book stacks. Call Number: HV6545 .K537 2020.
  • Why People Die by Suicide (Thomas Joiner Jr.): Following a suicide, the most troubling questions are often the most difficult to answer. How could we have known? What could we have done? Why? Written by a clinical psychologist whose own life has been touched by suicide, this book offers a clear account of why some people choose to die. Location: Book stacks. Call Number: HV6545 .J65 2007.

For additional resources on suicide prevention, visit the GW Resiliency and Well-Being Center’s Suicide Prevention website. 

If you are having thoughts of suicide, reach out to GW Student Health Center Suicide Prevention Hotline (202-994-5300, press option 2), submit a CARE Report, or call the 988 24/7 Crisis and Support Lifeline. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, every day.

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