What happens if you try to prevent every single suicide?

NPR

There is a new movement in health and mental health care systems to reverse the increasing suicide rate. The goal is zero suicides. It started at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit with a program to reduce depression that has led to a dramatic reduction in the suicide rate among people in its system. Their innovative approaches include the following: primary care doctors screen every patient at every visit, all patients identified with a mental health problem are given appropriate care, therapists involve patients’ families in reducing access to lethal means, follow-up appointments are scheduled right away, and patients develop their own safety plans with the help of their doctors. Now other health care systems are adopting the Zero Suicide approach, and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center has run Zero Suicide training academies to help with this process. When asked why zero suicides (rather than just a reduction in the suicide rate) is the goal, Doree Ann Espiritu, acting head of the Zero Suicide program at Henry Ford Health System says, “Because if you say we’re OK with five a year, one of those might be your brother or your friend. We aim for zero because it reminds all of us of what we would want for ourselves.” She admits that zero suicides may not be possible, but says that it is a goal to try to attain.

Spark Extra! For more information on the Zero Suicide approach and how to implement it, look at the Zero Suicide website.