Content Warning: This press release contains discussions about suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support, please use this link to find an international helpline: www.findahelpline.com.

Governments put up railings and barriers and regulate supplies of certain drugs to prevent people from dying by suicide. But other products associated with fatal self-harm, such as firearms, pesticides, and alcohol remain widely available and publicly promoted. The difference in approach to regulation needs to be addressed to make progress in preventing suicide, according to an analysis published June 10 in the open access journal PLOS Global Public Health by May van Schalkwyk from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and colleagues.

The media deal with suicide using metaphors of war, illness or journeys. The focus must move away from the individual, to instead frame suicide as an issue of collective responsibility

Veterans diagnosed with cancer face a higher risk of suicide attempts — especially in the months following diagnosis — and that risk can persist for years, found a large, national study led by Oregon Health & Science University and the Veterans Health Administration.

In a new placebo-controlled clinical trial, Stanford Medicine researchers found that low-dose buprenorphine could extend ketamine’s temporary antisuicide effects by at least four weeks.

Henry Ford Health has received a $12 million grant from the Four Pines Fund to expand its Zero Suicide Model across the U.S. This proven approach has reduced suicide rates by up to 25% in health systems. The funding will enhance suicide prevention services at Henry Ford Health, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, and HealthPartners in Minnesota, and establish a new suicide prevention center at Henry Ford Health. With over 49,000 U.S. suicides in 2023, this initiative addresses a critical public health issue.

A new study finds that brain electrical activity tied to impulsive decision-making — a key contributor to suicide risk — changes after lithium treatment in people who have survived a life-threatening suicide attempt. The findings from Texas A&M University and Baylor College of Medicine were published in Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.