Trust Magazine

Suicide Is an Urgent Public Health Problem in America

End note

In this Issue:

  • Spring 2022
  • A New Collaboration for Vast and Lasting Conservation
  • Big Ideas, Big Results
  • Courts Shifted Online During the Pandemic
  • Garibaldi Glacier
  • Global Public Opinion in an Era of Democratic Anxiety
  • Noteworthy
  • Return on Investment
  • Small Cities Worry Cybersecurity Money Won’t Reach Them
  • Suicide Is an Urgent Public Health Problem in America
  • The Theranos Problem Congress Must Still Solve
  • Where Rivers Meet the Sea
  • Why Veterans With GI Bill Benefits Still Take Out Student Loans
  • View All Other Issues
Suicide Is an Urgent Public Health Problem in America

The Pew Charitable Trusts has launched a suicide risk reduction project and reports that suicide screening can connect people to treatment and save lives. The Centers for disease Control and Prevention says that more than 47,500 people died by suicide in 2019–which translates to one death every 11 minutes–and more than 12 million adults had thoughts of suicide.

More than 47,000 people die by suicide each year.
Suicide was the 12th-leading cause of death in the country in 2020.
Rate increase among females: 139% American Indian & Alaska Native, 68% White, 65% Black, 37% Hispanic, and 15% Asian & Pacific Islander
Rate increase among males: 71% American Indian & Alaska Native, 40% White, 9 % Black, 9% Hispanic, and 10% Asian & Pacific Islander
About half of all people who die by suicide interact with the health care system within a month of their death, giving health care providers a critical opportunity to screen for suicide.
Eight hospital emergency departments found 30% fewer suicide attempts among patients who were screened for suicide risk and received evidence-based care, such as additional screening and follow-up phone calls, compared with patients who were not screened.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org and click on the chat button.

Global Public Opinion in an Era of Democratic Anxiety Return on Investment
Trust Magazine

New Reforms for Over-the-Counter Drugs

Quick View
Trust Magazine

In a move designed to streamline regulation of overthe- counter drugs, Congress passed—and President Donald Trump signed—legislation in March that will allow the Food and Drug Administration to move more quickly to address safety concerns and permit manufacturers to more easily market new products.

A patient in profile at a methadone clinic with a cup to their mouth in front of an office desk.
A patient in profile at a methadone clinic with a cup to their mouth in front of an office desk.
Article

Addiction Treatment is Out of Reach for Many Americans

Quick View
Article

Drug overdose deaths skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic: Provisional data covering a 12-month period shows that overdose deaths reached the record-setting number of more than 99,000 fatalities as of March 2021. Opioid treatment programs (OTPs)—the only health care facilities that can offer patients all three forms of medication for opioid use disorder (OUD): methadone, buprenorphine, and injectable extended-release naltrexone—are critical to reducing overdose deaths and providing life-saving addiction treatment. But they do so only if patients are able to access services.

911 dispatchers
911 dispatchers
Article

Improving Emergency Responses to Behavioral Health Crises

Quick View
Article

While much of the health care sector has increased its use of data to inform patient care and institutional decisions, many 911 call centers—which are a gateway to receiving emergency care—are lagging, leaving communities without the information needed to improve responses, including for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis.