About Suicide Prevention

Each year, about 120 Rhode Islanders die by suicide. Many people in Rhode Island have experienced a suicide loss. And, for many of us, understanding suicide or how we can prevent it can be hard.

Suicide is a complex problem. Suicidal feelings and thoughts are not caused by just one thing, such as a mental health condition. A mental health condition can be a risk factor (something that increases the chance that a person may attempt suicide), but most people with a mental health condition will never attempt suicide. There are many things that can cause someone to attempt suicide, and each person’s situation is unique.

There is not one simple or easy solution to prevent suicide. But it is possible to prevent suicide — to stop suicides before they happen. To do so, we need to reduce risks and increase protective factors (things that reduce the chance that a person may attempt suicide) for everyone in our state.

We have to work with individuals, family, friends, healthcare and mental health providers, schools, health centers, towns, and cities to find and implement solutions. Everyone can help prevent suicide. In public health, this approach is called “the socioecological model”. 

The Rhode Island Socioecological Model

We prevent suicide by increasing protective factors and decreasing risk factors. Looking at the model, you can see how positive things–such as a good relationship with your doctor, restrictions on lethal means, and a healthy school environment–would contribute to a lowered risk of suicide. Or, how the more challenges a person experiences in their life and environment, such as substance abuse, violent relationships, and barriers to accessing mental healthcare, might put them at higher risk for suicide.