How To Support Survivors of Suicide Loss: A Guide to Being There in the Aftermath
Every year in the US, about 1 million people are directly impacted by the suicide of someone close to them. These individuals become survivors of suicide loss, a term that refers to those who have lost a loved one to suicide. This sudden loss often leaves survivors in a state of shock, confusion, and deep-seated grief, as they grapple with a host of complex and overwhelming emotions.
Understanding the needs and struggles of these loss survivors is essential in providing them with appropriate support, both in the short and long term. In this article, we offer guidance on how to navigate this painful situation, providing comfort and companionship to suicide loss survivors.
The Emotional Aftermath of Suicide Loss
Suicide loss can thrust survivors into a state of immense grief, often compounded by feelings of guilt, anger, and shame. They may experience a unique type of mourning known as complicated grief, characterized by debilitating sorrow and difficulty in resuming their everyday lives.
Survivors may also grapple with the stigma associated with suicide, which can make the grieving process even more challenging. This can lead to isolation, as they may feel reluctant to discuss their loss due to societal judgments and misconceptions about suicide.
Because of these muddled and complex feelings, and the societal tendency to shy away from suicide, one of the most important things you can do to help a survivor of suicide loss is to listen. Listen actively, without judgment, criticism, or prejudice. Let them share on their own timing and with their own discretion. Remember to be patient and to take a back seat; do not impose your own ideas about grief. Their experience is personal and unique, and you are there to support them, not shepherd them.
Here are some ways you can support a suicide loss survivor, now and later.
Providing Short-Term Support to Suicide Loss Survivors
In the initial aftermath of a suicide, survivors need tangible, immediate support. Here are a few ways you can help:
Be present: Simply being there, offering a shoulder to cry on, or listening to them express their feelings can be enormously helpful. Avoid passing judgment or offering solutions. Instead, let them know you’re there for them no matter what.
Offer practical assistance: Helping with daily chores, meals, childcare, or even administrative tasks related to the death can alleviate some of their immediate stress.
Encourage professional help: Encourage survivors to seek support from mental health professionals or suicide loss support groups, who can provide therapies and/or support specifically tailored to handle the complexities of suicide grief.
Long-Term Support for Survivors of Suicide Loss
Providing long-term support is equally critical, as the grieving process is often extended, lasting months or years. Here’s how you can be there for survivors in the long run:
Maintain regular contact: Stay connected beyond the initial period of loss. Regularly check in, reminding them that they are not alone in their grief and that you are still there for them.
Acknowledge anniversaries and milestones: The deceased individual’s birthday, the anniversary of the death, or other significant dates can be particularly challenging. Reach out during these times.
Promote open communication: Continue to encourage open discussions about their feelings, and ensure they feel heard and validated.
Support self-care: Remind them of the importance of self-care. This can include ensuring they get adequate sleep and exercise, eat healthily, and take time for activities they enjoy.
Facilitate access to support groups: Encourage them to join support groups for survivors of suicide loss. These offer a safe space to share experiences and feel understood by others who have been through similar situations.
Say their name: Speak the person’s name out loud, at the level you, and their person is comfortable with. Too often speaking of someone we lost may be avoided due to concern it will upset their loved one. Share stories, remember them, and engage in ways that honor their memory.
Advocating for Suicide Loss Survivors
Supporting survivors of suicide loss is not just a personal obligation. It is also about advocating for societal and systemic changes to improve support for those grieving suicide loss. This can include promoting suicide awareness, fighting stigma associated with mental health concerns, and lobbying for better access to mental health services. Support suicide prevention, research, and advocacy by donating today!
Suicide loss is a deeply personal and devastating experience. It is essential that we, as a society, step up to provide the necessary support to those left behind. By offering a helping hand, a listening ear, and an understanding heart, we can make a difference in the lives of those affected by suicide loss.
The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest and nation’s oldest membership-based suicide prevention organization. Founded in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, AAS promotes the research of suicide and its prevention, public awareness programs, public education and training for professionals and volunteers. The membership of AAS includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have an interest in suicide prevention. Learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.
Responsible reporting on suicide, including stories of hope and resilience, can prevent more suicides and open the door for help for those in need. Visit the Media as Partners in Suicide Prevention: Suicide Reporting Recommendations for more details. For additional information, visit SuicideReportingToolkit.com and Stanford University’s Media and Mental Health Initiative. For crisis services anywhere in the world, please visit FindAHelpline.org and in the continental United States chat, text or call 988.Donate today to support AAS’ mission to promote the understanding and prevention of suicide and support those who have been affected by it.
Our Programs
The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) provides comprehensive resources to help navigate your journey with suicide and mental health. AAS also offers a national directory of support groups that focus on a variety of survivors of suicide.
Accredited Crisis Centers
The American Association of Suicidology has accredited crisis service organizations for nearly 50 years in the United States and internationally. The accreditation process strives to recognize exemplary crisis service organizations, online emotional support programs, mobile crisis services, and other services supporting individuals in crisis. Achieving accreditation defines an organization’s standard of practice, through the review of several areas including but not limited to administration and organizational structure, service delivery, and services in life threatening crises. Crisis Centers that comprise the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline often engage with AAS for Accreditation recognition, closely connecting AAS Accreditation services to a critical and growing national support network.
Annual Conference
The American Association of Suicidology Annual Conference, held each spring, is the largest gathering of the Suicidology community; including clinicians, researchers, attempt survivors, crisis service professionals, public health and government officials and more. With attendees from all over the world, the AAS Conference features training and certification days, keynote addresses, poster presentations, paper presentations,hundreds of workshops and panel sessions, an Annual Organizational Meeting, award ceremony, multiple networking opportunities, and an exhibit hall featuring industry leaders, academic and training programs, resources, and community advocates.
Memberships
By becoming an AAS Member you will be among the ranks of the world’s leading suicidologists and suicide prevention experts. AAS offers both individual and Organization membership options. Explore all the benefits and consider which membership meets your unique needs.
Individual Membership An individual membership provides you with member benefits and simultaneously supports AAS’ mission and vision to promote and elevate public awareness about suicide prevention.
Organizational Membership An organizational membership provides member benefits and allows an organization to sponsor AAS membership for multiple employees.
Research Program
The American Association of Suicidology research program focuses on advancing the understanding of suicide and suicide prevention through the promotion of scientific research and the dissemination of evidence-supported information. The AAS Research Program has several key objectives, including:
Supporting and promoting scientific research on suicide, suicidality, and life-threatening behavior
Disseminating information on suicide prevention and intervention strategies to researchers, academics, and the general public
Developing and implementing research-supported policies and programs to prevent suicide
Providing training and resources to researchers, clinicians, and other professionals in the field of suicidology
Advocating for increased funding and support for suicide prevention research
Store
Our Online Store is the portal to our current offerings, including our current accreditation, training, and certifications. As well as past webinars available at a nominal cost and past slide decks.
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior Journal (SLTB)
The AAS Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior Journal provides the latest research, theories, and intervention methods for suicide and life-threatening behaviors, including research from biological, psychological, and sociological approaches.
Trainings and Certifications
The American Association of Suicidology is a world-leader in the development, implementation, and facilitation of research supported training and certification programs. Courses are evidence-supported to uphold the highest standards of care and equity for those impacted by suicide. Dynamic curricula developed by leading researchers offer an array of advanced clinical training for professionals and introductory-level courses for a variety of sectors and disciplines.
History
Edwin S. Shneidman establishes the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) in 1968
AAS was founded by clinical psychologist Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, in 1968. After co-directing the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center (LASPC) since 1958, Dr. Shneidman was appointed co-director of The Center for Suicide Prevention at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, MD. There he had the opportunity to closely observe the limited available knowledge-base regarding suicide.
Consequently, under the sponsorship of the NIMH, he organized a meeting of several world-renowned scholars in Chicago, determined the need for and fathered a national organization devoted to research, education, and practice in “suicidology,” and advancing suicide prevention.
With his years of leadership directing a suicide prevention center, Shneidman was quick to recognize a contemporaneous and rapid expansion of the crisis center/hotline movement across the United States.
The newly established AAS embraced these centers as sources of research information on suicidal clients. Soon, the relationship between AAS and these centers was symbolic.
AAS became the central clearinghouse for support and the hub of a many-spoked wheel, networking these centers to common needs, training materials, and goals.
Certification & Training
It was a result of this marriage of research and crisis counseling that led AAS to develop a set of standards and criteria for certification of crisis centers throughout the United States. Since certifying its first center in 1976, AAS now has over 120 centers meeting stringent standards of services and training.
In 1989, AAS began a certification program for individual crisis workers as well. By the end of 2015, over 1,000 individuals had passed a rigorous examination of their knowledge and application of crisis theory to their work clients. AAS continues to take a leadership position in the crisis center and suicide prevention movement.
AAS Becomes a Membership Organization
In addition to crisis center staff and volunteers, AAS membership includes researchers, mental health clinicians, public health specialists, school districts, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and students.
From a small group of leaders who met in Chicago in 1968, AAS now boasts a membership of more than 1200 individuals and over 150 organizations.
AAS produces a referral directory of over 600 suicide prevention and crisis centers nationwide and a directory of almost 300 survivor support groups.
The Work of AAS
Thousands of calls are received annually in the AAS Central Office from the public and the media regarding referrals and informational needs. Public education and information have become core functions of AAS.
To that end, AAS has produced a variety of fact sheets, brochures, statistical reports, books, and resources offered to the public and professional communities.
AAS has produced major conferences of research presentations and panels, training workshops, and interactive discussions annually since its inaugural meeting. Major papers from this meeting often appear in addition to independently submitting research and case studies, in the Association’s peer-reviewed journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior.
AAS also sponsors a second conference each year, Healing After Suicide Loss, which brings together professionals and survivors to share information specific to working through suicide bereavement.
AAS Today
American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is the nation’s largest and oldest suicide prevention membership organization and charitable 501(c)3. As a membership-based organization that aims to support its members in their knowledge and best practices in the field. In addition to offering insight into the latest trends, issues, and opportunities of our diverse members. People of all ages, races, genders, ethnicities, and more are impacted by suicide every day. Our goal is not to eradicate suicide, but through impact, one by one, the lives of those who are or may yet be suicidal.
The principal journal for suicide studies, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, is published six times per year by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of AAS which offers the latest research, theories, and intervention approaches for suicide and life-threatening behaviors. The journal publishes scientific research on suicidal and other life-threatening behaviors, including research from biological, psychological, and sociological approaches.
AAS continues to be a world-leader in the development, implementation, and facilitation of professional accreditation, certification, and training programs. An active program of externally supported research and prevention programming has begun and complements AAS’s ongoing investment in setting standards for and upgrading the skills and understandings of those who work with at-risk individuals. AAS is a nationally-recognized leader in developing and implementing training and accreditation programs. Our programs include Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk, Crisis Center Accreditation, Individual Crisis Specialist Certification, Psychological Autopsy Certification, College and University Suicide Prevention Accreditation, and many more.
Our Annual Conference every Spring welcomes members and non-members alike who are invested in advancing the mission of AAS through educational pre-conferences, interactive poster sessions, panels of subject matter experts and lived experience of suicide, keynotes with today’s thought leaders, and more. The conference welcomes people of all disciplines with shared interest in suicidology, including but not limited to psychologists, psychiatrists, researchers, physicians, social workers, educators, public health professionals, attempt survivors and those with lived experience, crisis service professionals and volunteers.
Living With Grief for Suicide Loss Survivors
In the aftermath of a death by suicide, loss survivors—family, friends, and others impacted—are often confronted by a complex tapestry of emotions that may feel insurmountable. This kind of grief, known as suicide loss or suicide bereavement, can be overwhelmingly intense, multifaceted, and unique to each individual. It is key that suicide loss survivors have access to the support needed to process and live through the loss.
The Complicated Nature of Suicide Grief
Understanding suicide grief is the first step toward coping with it. Grief for suicide loss survivors is often marked by an array of conflicting emotions, including shock, anger, guilt, and profound sadness. Loss survivors often grapple with “why” questions that cannot be answered, or feel a sense of guilt or responsibility for the suicide. Additionally, a portion of suicide loss survivors experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
Suicide grief is complicated not only because of its emotional depth, but also due to societal stigma attached to suicide, making it harder for loss survivors to express their feelings openly or seek support. The journey through suicide loss can feel isolating, and many have found hope and healing on the other side of this loss with the support of other loss survivors.
Strategies for Dealing with Suicide Grief
Everyone experiences grief differently and it is important to find the approaches that are most effective for you and your experience. Here are a few strategies that may help:
Acknowledge your feelings: Give yourself permission to feel and express whatever emotions come your way. Ignoring or suppressing these feelings may only prolong the grieving process.
Seek professional help: Mental health professionals are trained to help you navigate the intense emotions accompanying bereavement. They can provide tools and strategies tailored to your specific needs, and can help you find healthy ways to keep the memory of your loved one alive.
Connect with others: Isolation can intensify feelings of grief. Try to stay connected with friends and family. Share your feelings with those you trust and who can offer empathy and support.
Self-care: Regular physical activity, balanced nutrition, and ample sleep can help manage the physical symptoms of grief, as well as promote improved mental health. Mindfulness practices, like yoga and meditation, can also help you stay connected to your body and emotions.
Find your own pace: Everyone’s grief timeline is different. Do not rush the process or compare your journey to others’. Allow yourself the time you need to heal.
Finding Suicide Loss Support
There are many different types of resources available to support suicide loss survivors in their journey toward healing. You can find suicide loss support in these areas and more:
Support groups: There are many support groups specifically designed for suicide loss survivors. These groups offer a safe, understanding space for survivors to share their experiences, learn from others, and receive support from others who understand this kind of grief.
Online communities and resources: If in-person support feels too daunting, there are a number of online communities and forums that can provide insight and companionship in a more anonymous setting. You can also find online resourcesto help you through your loss and connect you with supportive and understanding communities.
Crisis lines: In moments of crisis or intense grief, crisis lines such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can support on the phone, through text-message, or web-based messaging) can provide immediate support.
Therapy: The process of healing from the trauma of suicide is multifaceted and layered. It is not just about managing the pain, but also about finding a new normal, learning to live with the loss, and reconstructing a meaningful life. Licensed therapists who specialize in complex grief can provide a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space to explore these complex emotions and challenges.
Navigating suicide loss is an arduous journey, but no one has to walk this path alone. With understanding, self-care, and support, loss survivors can find their way to healing and hope.
The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest and nation’s oldest membership-based suicide prevention organization. Founded in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, AAS promotes the research of suicide and its prevention, public awareness programs, public education and training for professionals and volunteers. The membership of AAS includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have an interest in suicide prevention. Learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.
Donate today to support AAS’ mission to promote the understanding and prevention of suicide and support those who have been affected by it.
Training & Certifications
Training Request Form
Training Request Form
Ready to bring your team together for tailored training? Complete our training request form to register a group or arrange private sessions for your organization or community. Expect a response from our AAS staff within 1-3 business days to coordinate the next steps.
Begin your learning journey now! Explore our training catalog with more to come, for self-paced courses and webinars and secure your spot for upcoming live sessions—whether in-person or virtual—via our new learning management platform.
For on-demand (asynchronous) training, head to our training learning management platform and choose from the selection of AAS courses available. If any participant requires accommodations, you can reach out to training@suicidology.org.
This advanced training is based on 24 core competencies derived from empirical evidence that comprehensively define the knowledge, skills & approaches required for effective clinical risk assessment & treatment of individuals at risk for suicide.
El curso está destinado a los profesionales de la salud mental interesados en adquirir un conjunto de habilidades basadas en competencias para trabajar con personas en riesgo de suicidio.
A mental health crisis can happen to anyone, even those who don’t have an existing mental health condition. Sometimes (though not always) the person in crisis may experience self-harm impulses or suicidal ideation. In these cases, knowing how to recognize what’s happening and react appropriately can save someone’s life.
What Does a Mental Health Crisis Look Like?
Mental health emergencies look different for different people. You may notice warning signs in advance, or they may seem to come out of nowhere. In general, changes in behavior (such as changes in work and/or school performance, social isolation, increased use of drugs and/or alcohol, and loss of interest in normal activities or hobbies) are often indicators that someone’s mental health is deteriorating.
inability to perform daily tasks (such as not getting out of bed, not eating, or failing to go to work/school)
poor hygiene, such as failing to bathe or change clothes regularly
suicidal thoughts or self-harm behaviors
psychosis (including hallucinations or delusions)
paranoia or seeming disconnected from reality
feelings of hopelessness, depression, irritability, anger, or anxiety
What Causes a Mental Health Crisis?
Mental health emergencies can be caused by a wide range of factors. In some cases, a crisis might result from an existing mental health condition being aggravated or exacerbated. Other times, a mental health crisis might be caused by trauma (such as a natural disaster or an accident) or a stressful event (such as the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or loss of a job).
Although anyone can experience a mental health crisis, some groups of people are more vulnerable than others. These include individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions, those without strong support systems or coping mechanisms, people living in crowded environments, and people who have experienced economic losses.
How To Deescalate a Crisis
Witnessing someone in crisis can make you feel powerless and scared, and it’s important that you equip yourself with the right knowledge, skills, and resources. Particularly if that person is suicidal, your intervention could save their life. The following guidelines are a great starting point for helping someone navigate a mental health emergency:
Assess the situation. Talk to the person in crisis and ask them what they’re feeling or experiencing. If they seem like they might be a danger to themselves or others, try to remove any potentially dangerous items, such as medications, firearms, car keys, or knives. If you’re able, stay with them until the crisis has passed or they’ve gotten help.
Remember to keep your own safety in mind, too. If at any point you feel that your well-being is in danger, leave the situation.
Listen compassionately. In difficult situations like this, it’s normal to worry about saying the wrong thing. However, experts agree that the most important thing you can do for someone who is experiencing a crisis is to simply listen, be with them, and let them know that you’re there to help. Offer validation and support, and avoid judging, lecturing, or reacting angrily. Try to ask the following questions:
Are you thinking about suicide?
Are you currently seeing a mental health professional?
What sorts of coping strategies and self-care usually help when you’re feeling bad?
How can I help?
Connect them with support. If the person is already seeing a mental health professional, encourage them to contact that person. If they’re not already receiving treatment, offer to help them find a mental health provider or local support group.
If they don’t have a current provider or they need immediate help, encourage them to call or text a crisis resource, such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or the NAMI crisis text line. It’s a good idea to keep these numbers saved on your phone so that they’re easily accessible if you ever need them.
If you believe the person is an imminent danger to themselves or others, take them to the nearest emergency room or call 911. If you do call 911, be sure to give the dispatcher as much information as possible about the person’s symptoms and what they’re experiencing.
Practice self-care. Seeing someone through a crisis can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Once they are safe, be sure to take care of your own needs and seek support if you need it.
The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is dedicated to promoting the understanding and prevention of suicide, as well as providing support, hope, and healing to those who have been affected by it. AAS promotes the study of suicide as a research discipline, as well as public awareness programs, public education, and training for professionals and volunteers. AAS membership includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center volunteers, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have an interest in suicide prevention.
By joining the AAS, the largest and oldest suicide prevention membership organization in the U.S., you will be among the ranks of the world’s leading suicidologists and suicide prevention experts. Ready to join? Individual and Organizational Memberships are available!
In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) listed suicide as among the top nine leading causes of death for individuals between the ages of 10 and 64. Experts agree that it’s a significant public health problem. Although anyone can be affected by suicide, some groups experience it at a much higher rate than the general population.
As with any public health concern, understanding the demographics of suicide and the broader social, economic, and cultural factors that can affect it is crucial to developing effective suicide prevention strategies. Here, we’ll review some important suicide statistics, including the groups affected by suicide at disproportionately high rates and why that’s believed to be the case.
Suicide and Gender
Men—particularly middle-aged men—experience suicide at a significantly higher rate than women. In 2020, the incidence of suicide among men was over three times higher than the rate among women. The reasons for this are complex, but harmful gender norms play a role, as do access to lethal means. In particular, firearms, which are more accessible in the United States than in many other countries, are used in three out of every five suicides.
As one 2019 BBC article pointed out, prevailing gender norms put pressure on men to appear strong, self-sufficient, and in control. Expressions of emotion or vulnerability are often discouraged or stigmatized as being weak. This emotional repression can cause serious mental health concerns for men and may make them more likely to engage in substance use, which has been associated with an increased risk of suicide.
Marginalized genders and queer individuals are also at a greater risk of suicide. This is reflected in the high rates within the LGBTQ community, who are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their non-LGBTQ peers. Suicide rates among trans people, in particular, are of great concern: according to a 2022 study, “82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves, and 40% have attempted suicide.”
Among LGBTQ populations, higher suicide rates are generally attributed to discrimination, harassment, family rejection, and compounding social-emotional factors impacting LGBTQ individuals.
Suicide and Age
Although older adults comprise only a small number of overall deaths by suicide, the rate of suicide among adults over age 75 is higher than any other age group (19.1 per 100,000). As a whole, elderly individuals are highly susceptible to social isolation and depression due to mobility and health issues.
Suicide and Race and Ethnicity
American Indians and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations experience the highest rate of suicide, followed by white people. The incidence of suicide among AI/AN individuals is 23.9 per 100,000, making it the 9th leading cause of death for those populations. In addition, suicide rates among Black and Asian or Pacific Islander individuals have shown a dramatic increase in recent years. A 2021 study reported that for Black individuals, the suicide rate increased by 30% between 2014 and 2019; for Asian or Pacific Islanders, the suicide rate climbed by 16%.
As is the case with members of the LGBTQ community, suicide among racial minority populations is rooted in social and historical discrimination. For example, colonialism and racism continue to have a major impact on Indigenous individuals and communities alike. Intergenerational trauma, poverty, unemployment, alcohol abuse, and sexual violence tend to be present at higher than average rates in AI/AN communities, all of which are believed by experts to contribute to suicidal behavior.
Suicide and Veterans
Many veterans face a unique set of factors that may put them at greater risk for suicide. Data from 2020 placed the suicide rate for veterans at 57.3% higher than the rate for non-veterans in the US. Although suicide rates among veterans declined slightly between 2018-2020, prior to that, rates climbed steadily from 2000-2018.
Many veterans experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which has been positively correlated with suicide, as a result of their military service. On top of that, the process of transitioning out of the military and back into civilian life is often stressful and isolating for veterans. These and other circumstances (such as disability, difficulty finding employment, and/or financial struggles) may contribute to mental health disorders such as depression and/or anxiety and substance abuse. Altogether, many veterans find themselves at the center of a network of severe risk factors for suicide.
Understanding the demographics of suicide is an integral part of suicide research.The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is dedicated to promoting the understanding and prevention of suicide, as well as providing support, hope, and healing to those who have been affected by it. AAS promotes the study of suicide as a research discipline, public awareness programs, public education, and training for professionals and volunteers. AAS membership includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center volunteers, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of lay persons who are interested in suicide prevention.
By joining the AAS, the largest and oldest suicide prevention membership organization in the U.S., you will be among the ranks of the world’s leading suicidologists and suicide prevention experts. Ready to join? Individual and Organizational Memberships are available!
AAS Welcomes Executive Transition Team and New Board Members
Dear AAS Members,
We know you’ve been eager for more information on interim replacements, along with the ongoing bylaw-mandated board appointment process, and we now have updates on both to share here.
First, the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is pleased to announce that the AAS Board of Directors will be working with an executive transition team to ensure AAS’s mission stays on track until a permanent AAS Executive Director is appointed. We’re pleased to announce the selection of Keita Franklin, LCSW, PhD, and Wendy Lakso, CPH, as its Executive Transition Team. More specifically, they will assist with administering operations, coordinating communications and will ensure we move forward with our goals to include preparing for our upcoming 2022 Conference.
They are both accomplished leaders who have led large teams through periods of transition in both private and public sectors. Their biographies can be found here.
“Suicide prevention is critical – now more than ever, and we could not be more excited to partner with the professionals at AAS to help posture this organization to meet the challenges ahead of our Nation,” said Dr. Franklin and Ms. Lakso.
“We’re incredibly lucky to have someone with Dr. Franklin’s acumen join the organization and provide strong, forward-thinking leadership,” said Amy Kulp, COO. “Keita has been such a force in this field for so many years and we have no doubt that she will bring a powerful presence to AAS’s operations.”
“We’ve heard the many thoughts and suggestions shared over the course of our recent transitional period,” said Ms. Kulp. “One that stood out was a desire for more communication and organizational transparency across the board, and we are happy to say that an early Executive Transition Team objective will specifically be to reinforce avenues for open communications and transparent sharing of information between AAS, its members, its partners, and the public at large. We are lucky to have so many passionate, engaged people in our community, and we want to make sure you feel empowered in your interactions with AAS.”
Secondly, we are continuing the process of filling vacant board seats. We are excited to welcome several new members.
Jacque Christmas will join us as Board Secretary. Jacque has a long history working with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, as well as directly with AAS through the Impacted Family and Friends Division and several convention presentations. Jacque is a certified Question, Persuade and Refer Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Instructor and a certified Mental Health Recovery and Wellness Recovery Action Planning Facilitator. Additionally, she facilitates a Re-Energize and Re-Connect wellness workshop series for suicide loss and suicide attempt survivors further along the healing path and the Joplin Out of the Darkness Walk in Joplin, MO, a rural community impacted by disaster in 2011. Jacque brings this experience, along with hands-on work organizing large initiatives and events, time on the boards of other groups in our space such as Johnny’s Ambassadors, a Masters in Public Administration, and a B.S. in Social Work, to the table for AAS.
Filling one of our at-Large director spots will be Dr. Molly Klote, Director, Office of Research Protections, Policy, and Education, Office of Research and Development, Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Dr. Klote joined VHA 2.5 years ago and is responsible for VHA human subjects research policy, education, and support to the Veterans Administration (VA) central institutional review board (CIRB). She is also leading the infrastructure efforts for the research enterprise transformation and is serving as the research champion for the electronic health record modernization transition. Prior to this, as an active duty Army Colonel with 30 years of service, she oversaw all human research policy and education for the United States Army through the office of the Army Surgeon General. For the past 12 years her responsibilities over research and human subjects protection policy have expanded to the national stage. During the COVID pandemic Dr Klote led the first in government use of public health authority to set policy to bring together data from VA, Center for Disease Control, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on the computing platforms of the Department of Energy computers. Recognizing the need for a ready supply of volunteers for the vaccination trials she spearheaded the creation of the VA COVID Volunteer list allowing more than 57,000 Veteran volunteers to be vaccinated. She designed the Advisory subcommittee on diversity and inclusion in research to support the VA National Research Advisory Council to ensure robust participation of minority and underserved populations in VA research. Dr Klote also served on the policy task force of the American Telemedicine Association where she helps to spearhead efforts to ensure the efficient and effective implementation of decentralized clinical trials. She is a leader in effective, efficient, and compliant policy and education in human subjects research and brings those talents to bear on any problem presented.
As our next new at-large Director, we present Dr. Pata Suyemoto. Dr. Pata Suyemoto is a feminist scholar, writer, educator, diversity trainer, mental health activist, jewelry designer, and avid bicyclist. She earned her PhD. from the University of Pennsylvania and did her research on anti-racist education and issues of race and racism. She is the co-chair for the Greater Boston Regional Suicide Prevention Coalition and the chair of the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention (MCSP) Alliance for Equity’s People of Color Caucus. Pata is one of the authors of Widening the Lens: Exploring the Role of Social Justice in Suicide Prevention – A Racial Equity Toolkit. She has spoken and written about being a suicide attempt survivor, her struggles with depression and is a co-founder of The Breaking Silences Project (www.thebreakingsilencesproject.com), which is an artistic endeavor that educates about the high rates of depression and suicide among Asian American young women. She is also a long-time volunteer for Asian Women for Health and is a trainer and wellness coach for the Achieving Whole Health program. Pata is also member of a number of boards and committees including the MCSP’s Executive Committee, the planning committee for the annual Asian American Mental Health Forum, and the Department of Public Health’s Suicide Prevention Community Advisory Board. She is active in the American Association of Suicidology’s Impacted Family and Friends (IFF) Division, the Attempt Survivors/Lived Experience (AS/LE) Division, and the Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee. Her claim to fame is that she rode her bicycle across the country in the summer of 2012.
Our third new at-large Director is Dr. Kathleen carterMartinez D.A.A.E.T.S., CRT, CSA. Dr. carterMartinez is a trauma specialist, clinical psychotherapist and Mindful Trauma recovery specialist with 25+ years of experience in hospitals, healthcare settings and multiple disciplines. As a specialist in trauma she advocates for mindful compassionate recovery from personal traumatic events. Dr. Kathleen carterMartinez is a specialist and content expert in trauma, personal traumatic events, compassionate suicide awareness and traumatic losses. She is a ‘self-described’ professional ‘multidisciplinary ball of wax’ driven by a passion to work with mindful compassionate trauma recovery and healing. Dr.carterMartinez is a Diplomate with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and a member of ICISF – The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation where they have published several of her articles on trauma, the forgotten collaborator and first responder in residence as well as her article: ‘A Mother’s Grief: I Will Not Leave You’. Dr. carterMartinez holds a Doctoral Degree (E.D.) from Nova Southeastern University in Healthcare/Higher Education, a Master’s Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Clinical Psychology, and a Bachelor’s Degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Forensic Psychology and Addictions in addition to An Associate Degree in Law Enforcement where upon graduation she was the ‘first female officer’ on a private industrial police department. She is a graduate of Mountainside Hospital School of Radiology with 15+ years in the field.
We’ve also been remiss in not yet announcing two additions from earlier in the year, starting with Jenn Carson’s election as Attempt Survivor/Lived Experience Chair in April. Jenn Carson runs the Inland SoCal United Way’s Crisis Helpline, founded in 1968. Jenn holds a B.A. from Baylor University and an M.A. in Counseling from George Washington University. Jenn is a Living Works ASIST (Suicide First Aid) Trainer. Jenn also has lived experience in suicidality as a childhood suicide attempt survivor with Complex Post Trauma (C-PTSD). On CNN, “The Today Show”, NPR and the BBC, and in Marie Claire Magazine and Huffington Post, Jenn Carson has shared her journey from suicidal child to mental health advocate. Before running a crisis line, Jenn was a K-12 educator for 15 years. Jenn is passionate about amplifying voices of survivors to promote collective action—to make life worth living. Jenn was awarded the 2019 California National Organization of Women Gender Equity Award.
Finally, Jim Byrne joined us as an at-large Director several months back. The Honorable James M. Byrne formerly served as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, retiring in February 2020. As Deputy Secretary, he led modernization initiatives and worked closely with the Secretary as the chief operating officer leading operations of the federal government’s second-largest Cabinet department, with some 385,000 employees in VA medical centers, clinics, benefits offices, national cemeteries, and other facilities throughout the country. Previously, Mr. Byrne served as VA’s General Counsel, leading VA’s nationwide team of nearly 800 attorneys, paralegals, and staff. Before arriving at VA, Mr. Byrne served as Associate General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Lockheed Martin Corporation and spent several years on the board of directors for Pacific Architects and Engineers. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Mr. Byrne served in the career Federal Senior Executive Service as Deputy Special Counsel with the Office of the United States Special Counsel, and as both the General Counsel and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations with the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Soon after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Mr. Byrne was recalled to active duty for 18 months with the U.S. Marine Corps, where he was assigned as the Officer-in- charge of the Marine Liaison Office at the then-National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, leading teams of Marines responsible for supporting injured and deceased Marines, Sailors, and their families. Mr. Byrne’s professional honors include several DOJ awards and The Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator’s Award for Exceptional Service. He is also a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism and several military decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal. For ten years, Mr. Byrne volunteered on the Executive Board of Give an Hour, a non- profit organization that has developed national networks of volunteer professionals capable of providing complimentary and confidential mental health services in response to both acute and chronic conditions that arise within our society, beginning with the mental health needs of post-9/11 veterans, service members and their families. Mr. Byrne is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he received an engineering degree and held the top leadership position of Brigade Commander. Mr. Byrne later earned his J.D. from Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, Florida, and started his legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Malcolm J. Howard, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina.
One of our key next steps is a special election in which AAS members will choose a Board President and Board President-Elect. Look for more information about that soon, and in the meantime please reach out with any questions to leadership@suicidology.org.
Sincerely,
The AAS Board of Directors
American Association of Suicidology Welcomes New Board Members
Washington, D.C. (August 30, 2021): The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is pleased to announce that plans to fill vacant board seats at AAS are moving forward quickly, with four new division chairs appointed today.
If you’re interested in more information about the board process and what’s next make sure you haven’t missed our message here, discussing specifics and how you can get involved.
Our first addition is Qwynn Galloway-Salazar, coming in as Student Chair. Qwynn is an Army Veteran, and most recently served as the Co-Director for SAMHSA’s Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance (SMVF TA) Center. She also played a significant role in designing and coordinating the Governor’s and Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Policy and Implementation Academy’s. Qwynn holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice, an M.A. in Professional Counseling, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology while serving as an End-of-Life Doula for veterans and their caregivers.
We also welcome Judy Albelo as our new Loss Survivor Chair. Judy comes to us with more than five years of experience as Vice President and Treasurer of Tony’s Tribe, a non-profit geared towards breaking the stereotypes and stigmas of challenges many children and adults face today, working to support those struggling with the goal of embracing differences, breaking stigmas, working towards suicide prevention, suicide awareness, education, destigmatizing mental illness, and improving self-care and resiliency. Judy brings a wealth of non-profit 501(c)(3) familiarity to the board, having worked with a number of other groups in that space including Easter Seals and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Miami.
For our new Crisis Services Chair we have Pamela S. McKie, COO of The Children’s Home of Cincinnati, an organization providing education and therapeutic treatment for children and families facing social, behavioral, and learning challenges through more than 30 campus and community-based programs and services. Pamela has over 25 years of experience in executive leadership, including developing new programs, developing high-performance teams, and surpassing financial targets, both in the profit and non-profit sectors. She brings serious operational skills to the table, including a focus on valuable optimization and efficiency improvements, and has earned both a Masters in Social Work from the University of Cincinnati and a B.S. in Social Welfare from Ohio State University.
Joining us as Prevention/Public Health Chair is Tony Coder, Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF). As ED, Tony leads the charge to support community-based efforts in Ohio to reduce the stigma of suicide, promote education and awareness about suicide prevention, provide training and development, and increase resources and programs that reduce the risk of lives lost to suicide. Prior to joining the OSPF, Tony served as the Director of Programs and Services for the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, where he managed Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care, the Statewide Advocacy Network and the Committee to Address Suicide for the organization. He has also served as the Director of State and Local Affairs for Smart Approaches to Marijuana and as legislative director for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Tony holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Toledo.
AAS is dedicated to providing representation that effectively communicates the needs and goals of its membership. By continuing to include a diverse roster of individuals who can address these components, AAS, its divisions and committees, and its Board of Directors work strategically to create programs focused on ending suicide in this country and throughout the world.
For the Media: Responsible reporting on suicide, including stories of hope and resilience, can prevent more suicides. Please visit the Suicide Reporting Recommendations for more information. For additional information, please visit SuicideReportingToolkit.com.
About AAS: The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization. Founded in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, AAS promotes the research of suicide and its prevention, public awareness programs, public education and training for professionals and volunteers. The membership of AAS includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.
Suicides Decrease in 2020, However the Full Picture is Still Not Clear
Washington, D.C. (April 2, 2020) – Preliminary data in a report in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that while there was a 17.7% increase in overall deaths in the US in 2020, there were 2677 fewer suicides (44,834) than those reported in 2019 (47,511). Due to the number of COVID-19 related deaths, suicide dropped to the 11th leading cause of death. It should be noted that this is an estimated total and not final national data as officially reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These data follow reports in 2018 of an increase in suicide rates and 2019 with a smaller decrease in rates after nearly a decade of annual increases in the number of suicide deaths. Previous reports have shown increases in suicide deaths among all demographic groups as well, further illuminating the critical need to fund comprehensive suicide prevention initiatives in the US. After consulting with subject matter experts, the American Association of Suicidology would like to offer the following information.
What we know:
This is a very promising estimate. We hope that this is signaling a trend in lowered suicide deaths in the country and an indication that the efforts of suicide prevention initiatives are effective in lowering suicide rates at population scale.
Some municipalities and locations are reporting higher numbers of suicides in 2020, which indicates that some vulnerable populations exist based on location, access to services, demographic subgroup, or other factors.
What we don’t know:
We don’t know for certain that specific suicide prevention efforts are lowering rates at a national level.
We do not know if these numbers are, as we’ve seen in the past, a result of lowered suicide rates during a time of national crises.
We do not know if some suicides are being masked by COVID deaths in 2020, meaning some of those 2677+ people who would have died by suicide, instead died by COVID or had COVID at the time of their suicide and were characterized as such by coroners/medical examiners.
Overdose deaths also increased in 2020, and it is often hard to distinguish some overdoses from suicides, again possibly masking the true number.
We often focus only on the total number of suicide deaths, however we have very poor mechanisms for capturing the true number of suicide attempts in this country. So while a lowered rate of suicides is a good signal, it doesn’t necessarily indicate a lowered level of despair in the country. In fact, many recent reports have shown higher levels of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and suicide thoughts in certain demographics.
We should be cautious in celebrating this decrease too early as the data points from 2019 and 2020 do not necessarily indicate a trend. We may see a delayed increase in suicides in 2021 or 2022 similar to what we witnessed following the financial collapse in 2008.
Christopher W. Drapeau, PhD, HSPP, Licensed Psychologist and Adjunct Faculty Member in the Department of Health Policy and Management, IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health provided further explanation:
“It is tempting to conclude that the decreases in suicide for 2019 and the provisional decreases for 2020 reflect our hard work as a field to reduce suicide but surface-level thinking about changes in mortality data can be deceptive. It has long been argued that medicolegal professionals (i.e., medical examiners and coroners) tend to set a higher evidentiary threshold for certifying suicide as a manner of death compared to other manners of death (i.e., natural, accidental, homicide, and undetermined). If this argument holds for most medicolegal professionals across the United States, then it could be argued further that an increase in suicide should be viewed as a more accurate approximation of reality than a decrease given the level of rigor that a confirmed suicide must meet to be certified as such.”
“Additional reasons why it is wise to remain cautious in the wake of recent declines in suicide are due to evidence suggesting that:
suicides are misclassified as other manners of death and significant increases have been observed for unintentional/accidental deaths from 2015 to 2020 (which may be a landing place for misclassified suicides)
suicides are undercounted in areas of the United States that rely on elected coroners for death investigations
suicides are undercounted for specific demographic groups (i.e., Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Women) and certain mechanisms of injury (e.g., poisoning/overdoses, drowning, singular motor vehicle fatalities, etc.)
surveys of Americans show that reports of suicide ideation and other risk factors for suicide have been elevated to a significant degree during the pandemic and evidence showing why deaths by suicide have decreased while risk factors have increased is lacking”
“If the above reasons could be ruled out as explanations for the reported decreases in suicide for 2019 and 2020, then that would provide greater confidence in the conclusion that these decreases are true decreases and that we are doing things across the country that may be moving us in the right direction as a field. The Suicidology listserv discussions over the past few days also show that there are other alternative explanations to test before final conclusions are drawn about the 2019 and 2020 suicide mortality data.”
“It also may be helpful to consider that the morality data, first and foremost, represent the opinion of medicolegal professionals whenever we seek to draw conclusions about changes in mortality data over time. When noticing changes in the mortality data in general (not just suicide), it seems important to first consider whether the practices of medicolegal professionals have changed and if deaths of ambiguous intent have become more prevalent compared to past years. One question in particular that could be explored more thoroughly in the field of suicidology is: How does medicolegal professional understanding of suicide research and/or assumptions about who does and does not die by suicide influence death certifications? (especially when it comes to classifying manner of death across racial and ethnic groups, when deaths are attributed to poisoning, and/or when circumstantial evidence is minimal).”
“Finally, an argument could be made that we focus too much on mortality data as a barometer of our efforts and that there may be value in focusing more on “risk” data (e.g., suicide ideation) and examining how truly upstream efforts impact the year-to-year surveillance data on suicide-related thoughts and behaviors. Thinking big picture, is the purpose of our work to stop suicides from happening (which may compel us to pay more attention to suicide mortality data) or to empower people to the point where suicide becomes irrelevant to them? And if the purpose of suicide prevention is the latter, does mortality data allow us to measure that well?”
There is only speculation as to why suicide rates have fallen in the US. It remains important for the media, suicide prevention, and mental health organizations to communicate to the public that any single explanation for why individuals attempt or die by suicide is insufficient. In fact, it could be detrimental to imply that we can explain its causes without direct scientific evidence to support such claims. Conversely, this means that no single approach to solving the problem of suicide is sufficient, but rather a multidisciplinary, multi-sector strategy is necessary.
Systems for gathering data about suicide deaths, attempts, and ongoing suicidal experiences are significantly underdeveloped and undersupported. The US must establish better epidemiology around suicide, as well as develop innovative methods for collecting data at scale so our best researchers can help us understand what is happening. This specifically includes funding for suicide prevention at the scale of the problem, nationally, regionally, and locally. If we continue to fund suicide prevention research in a piecemeal way, we will never understand its causes or effectively support its prevention at scale. Recent increases in funding for the CDC and NIH are an excellent start but do not reflect the size and scope of the public health crisis.
“We have evidence showing the positive impact of crisis lines, training of healthcare professionals, and maintained contact with people experiencing thoughts of suicide have on decreasing suicide rates, but we need to start increasing our attention and focus on, access to lethal means. ” said Colleen Creighton, CEO of AAS. “By putting space and time between someone experiencing thoughts of suicide and their method, namely firearms, we greatly increase their chances of survival. We see very promising research surrounding firearms safety legislation and its potential to reduce suicide rates at population levels.”
In the US, there is no national requirement for crisis response training among healthcare professionals despite suicide being the 10th leading cause of death. No national standard suicide risk assessment or standardized requirement for suicide care yet exists in the private healthcare system. It is left to individual health systems to make suicide-safer care a priority. Few regulatory bodies are currently invested in the research that would make such standards of care mandatory for every patient or client. Given the scope of the public health crisis of suicide, training and regulatory bodies have much room to improve the systems of care and ensure providers are ready to help someone at risk of suicide.
For the Media: Responsible reporting on suicide, including stories of hope and resilience, can prevent more suicides. Please visit the Suicide Reporting Recommendations for more information.
About AAS: The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization. Founded in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, AAS promotes the research of suicide and its prevention, public awareness programs, public education and training for professionals and volunteers. The membership of AAS includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center volunteers, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.