Suicide

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Will the New 988 Hotline Be a Game Changer for Mental Health or a Missed Opportunity?

Someone dies from suicide in the United States every 11 minutes, a rate that has increased almost 30 percent since 2000. The 988 mental health hotline will launch on July 16, but states need to clear significant hurdles: funding the expanded crisis response system and making sure people know it's available.

Ryan K. McBain @ryankmcbain, Stephanie Brooks Holliday

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Nuclear Deterrence, COVID-19 and Infant Deaths, Criminal Justice Reform: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on why the United States doesn’t need more nuclear weapons, increased infant deaths during the pandemic, preventing veteran suicide, and more.

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China-Pakistan Partnership, Media Literacy, Incarcerated Parents: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the China-Pakistan partnership in light of the Taliban's rise to power, media literacy education, parenting from prison, and more.

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Paying College Athletes, Preventing Suicide, Planning for Heatwaves: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on a potential step toward paying college athletes, helping college freshmen overcome COVID-19 learning loss, the effects of U.S. sanctions in Syria, more.

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A Voice for Veterans on Capitol Hill: Q&A with Terri Tanielian

Terri Tanielian, a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and an internationally recognized expert on military and veteran health, spent six months as a fellow with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. She helped the committee develop a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy.

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COVID-19 Reveals Need for More Research About Guns

Recent reports suggest that Americans reacted to the pandemic by purchasing guns and ammunition in massive numbers. What does this mean for public safety? And how can policymakers ensure that this doesn't result in more injuries or deaths?

Andrew R. Morral @AndrewMorral, Jeremy Travis

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New Insights on Gun Policy in America

RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative aims to establish a shared set of facts about gun policies. Recently, researchers completed an update and expansion of their synthesis of all available scientific evidence on the effects of 18 classes of gun laws.

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COVID-19, Out-of-Network Hospital Payments, Russia's Economy: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on COVID-19, limiting out-of-network hospital payments, Russia's sluggish economy, and more.

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Veterans, Autonomous Vehicles, Digital Protests: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on preventing veteran suicide, who's responsible when a car is hacked, how digital protests can affect Fortune 500 companies, and more.

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More Can Be Done to Save Veterans from Suicide

A decade of research at RAND has sought to focus the national conversation about suicide in general, and veteran suicide in particular, around solutions that work. The overwhelming message: We could do more to save the lives of veterans like Daniel Somers. Here is his story.

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Inmate Suicides, India and Kashmir, Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap looks at preventing inmate suicides, India and Kashmir, improving health care for veterans, and more.

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Theresa May, Emotional Learning, Teachers: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Theresa May's resignation, social and emotional learning, the value of a good teacher, and more.

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Medicare for All, Principals, Cigarette Labels: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on spending estimates under Medicare for All, the benefits of principal pipelines, graphic warning labels on cigarettes, and more.

commentary

Preventing Suicide: Treat Mass Shooting Trauma Beyond Initial Tragedy

The need for mental health support and suicide-prevention efforts targeting survivors of mass shootings, and the friends and families of victims, is great. Putting such programs in place could go a long way toward helping them heal, and preventing more tragedy.

Joie D. Acosta, Lisa H. Jaycox

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Comparing Suicide Rates: Making an Apples to Apples Comparison

As the national suicide rate continues to rise, an increasing number of stakeholders are looking within their own communities and asking: “Do we have a suicide problem?” It's a difficult question to answer.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand

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Checklist of Best Practices Developed to Guide Development of Suicide Prevention Campaigns

Is your crisis line’s suicide-prevention communications effort working well enough? What should you be doing differently? Some help is available through a checklist published earlier this year.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand, Joie D. Acosta

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Is Suicide Preventable? Insights from Research

Conventional wisdom about suicide prevention suggests that one just needs to know what warning signs to look for. But that's not the case.

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Is America's Crisis 'System' in Crisis?

The United States has made life-saving progress on crisis support for veterans. Now other suicide prevention services need help. Progress made by the VA could provide a blueprint for improving suicide prevention services for all Americans.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand

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Veterans Day 2015: Three Priorities for Preventing Veteran Suicide (And It's Not All on the VA!)

The suicide rate among veterans is three times that of nonveterans. Additional research and policy intervention in three important areas could help ensure that fewer veterans die at their own hands.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand

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Helping the Most Vulnerable: Q&A with Rajeev Ramchand

Rajeev Ramchand discusses drug abuse, suicide, and how research can make a difference for society's most vulnerable.

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Veterans Battle Mental Health Issues After Iraq and Afghanistan

Researchers have made great progress capturing the consequences of coping with injuries sustained in the theater of war, but the emerging picture is shadowed in grays. A series of recent findings presents a bleak portrait of the cost of modern war to service members, their families, and their health care providers.

Terri Tanielian, Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand

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Military Turns to Collaborative Care to Treat PTSD, Depression

Collaborative care has been an important part of Army efforts to reach out to those struggling with PTSD and depression. It has brought a science-based solution to an essential military problem and has helped thousands of men and women in uniform in ways that also nudge the larger mental health system toward greater effectiveness for all Americans.

Charles C. Engel

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Research Is a Fundamental Component of Suicide Prevention

While our research has taught us many things about suicide prevention we think additional research is critically needed in two areas, writes Rajeev Ramchand. The first is gun control. The second area is the quality of behavioral health care available to those who need it.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand

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Supporting Families Affected by Military Suicide Should Be a Priority for All

While many of these families fight for honor and respect from the DoD or support from the VA, the comfort that they need will not be provided by either institution, nor should it be. Rather, it is up to us—as their neighbors, coworkers, teachers, and students—to shower these families with the love and support they need and deserve, writes Rajeev Ramchand.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand

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Preventing Military Suicides Is a Nationwide Effort

The military is experiencing a higher number of suicides than it has ever experienced at this time before. RAND research has a number of recommendations to prevent suicide among military personnel based.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand

commentary

In Memoriam

Not only would the delivery of quality behavioral care prevent suicides, but it would also aid in the recovery of the nearly 20 percent of service members with post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, writes Rajeev Ramchand.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand