EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This month, we're turning our attention to National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, an important time dedicated to raising awareness, breaking stigma, and exploring the science behind mental health and suicide prevention.

Latest news releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Jun-2026 02:16 ET (25-Jun-2026 06:16 GMT/UTC)

7-Apr-2026

Loneliness is a critical step on the road to suicide: Study

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Their findings, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, suggest that reducing loneliness could “arrest some of the progression from anxiety and depressive symptoms toward suicidal ideation,” and thus help prevent suicide, which claims more than 48,000 lives in the United States every year.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

30-Mar-2026

How to improve mental health safety on social media – not just for young people

Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

A toolkit based on research about social media's impact on young minds can help people of any age improve safety online by changing built-in settings on multiple platforms

Funder: University of Michigan

26-Mar-2026

The E3 ubiquitin ligase MIEL1 promotes thermo-responsive growth by blocking auto-ubiquitination and self-degradation of XBAT31

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Global warming has severe impacts on plant growth and development, and XBAT31 controls the protein level of the thermosensor ELF3 to promote hypocotyl growth under warm temperature conditions. In the current study, researchers unveil MIEL1 as a stabilizer of XBAT31, suppressing its auto-ubiquitination independent of MIEL1’s canonical RING-domain activity, and act cooperatively to modulate hypocotyl elongation in response to warm temperature. This hierarchical interaction between two E3 ligases expands the paradigm of ubiquitin-mediated signaling in environmental adaptation.

Journal: Science Bulletin

24-Mar-2026

Decade of war linked to widespread PTSD and suicidal behavior in Ukrainian children

University of Turku
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For more than a decade, Ukrainian children have grown up with war as a constant backdrop. According to researchers, the psychological consequences are now becoming clear. A comprehensive scoping review of 37 studies finds that Ukrainian children and adolescents exposed to a decade of war face high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), internalising and externalising symptoms, suicidality, and self-harm.

Journal: BMJ Global Health

23-Mar-2026

Kids who lose a parent to homicide, suicide or drug overdose are more likely to die as children

University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Childhood deaths are significantly higher among children who lose a parent to drug overdose, homicide or suicide compared to the general child population, a new University of Michigan study found.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

23-Mar-2026

Childhood mortality by parental cause of death

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This statewide cohort study found that childhood mortality is significantly higher among children bereaved by parental drug overdose, homicide, and suicide compared with the general child population. Parental homicide was associated with the highest risk of mortality in children and highlights the need for research into potential explanations, such as the impact on family restructuring and mental health.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

17-Mar-2026

Brief interventions reduce risk of renewed suicide attempt

University of Zurich
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A single conversation can make the difference: brief, structured interventions after a person has attempted suicide significantly reduce the risk of a renewed attempt. This is revealed by an international meta-analysis led by the University of Zurich.

Journal: EClinicalMedicine