Policy Priority: Research and Infrastructure

Designing and implementing effective national and state suicide prevention strategies requires a comprehensive understanding of who is dying by suicide and when. It also requires knowledge of suicide risk and protective factors and the most effective prevention, intervention, and treatment practices within specific populations and settings — all of which are gained through conducting suicide-specific research. AFSP has long advocated for and continues to prioritize increased funding for suicide-specific research and data collection methods that advance our current understanding of suicide and suicidal behavior.

Data collection and surveillance programs provide timely information about: (1) which populations and regions are at higher risk for suicide; (2) longitudinal trends in suicidal ideation and suicide attempts and deaths; and (3) data regarding methods used for suicide. AFSP also prioritizes working with federal agencies, states, and partner organizations to help build, evaluate, and sustain suicide prevention infrastructure that translates this research and data into suicide prevention practice at scale.

State suicide prevention infrastructure includes the systems, organizations, and funding necessary for the planning, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of statewide suicide prevention efforts. The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP) calls for the development of comprehensive state suicide prevention plans to coordinate upstream and downstream activities across state agencies, coalitions, and organizations consistent with the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s (SPRC) State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure Recommendations. Effective plans bridge public and private partnerships, emphasize community-based collaborations, engage diverse communities, are funded and sustainable, emphasize data collection, evaluate progress, and are regularly revised and updated to reflect new data and opportunities.

• Increase funding for and assist in the implementation and evaluation of state suicide prevention initiatives and plans to prevent suicide across the lifespan.
• Support the creation and maintenance of suicide fatality review committees at the stateand local levels.

Strong and sustained federal investment in suicide prevention programs, research, and surveillance is critical to supporting suicide prevention activities at several key federal agencies. Federal funding also supports suicide prevention activities at the state and local levels through grant programs.

• Advocate for legislation and increased research funds for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), expansion of suicide prevention research centers, and thepromotion of suicide prevention research within key institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• Support funding for suicide prevention programming at the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC), including the Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program and National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS).
• Advance investments in suicide prevention and mental health programming at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and otherfederal agencies indicated in the NSSP Federal Action Plan. (See SAMHSA grant programs.)