SUICIDE PREVENTION INITIATIVES – FY 2005

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)

The American Psychological Association (APA) strongly supports the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and recommends increased funding for CDC and SAMHSA to further its implementation.

As stated in the 2003 report of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, “Suicide is a serious public health challenge that has not received the attention and degree of national priority it deserves.” This report was preceded by the 2002 report of the Institute of Medicine, Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative. A year earlier, the Surgeon General released the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action. The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP) adopts a public health approach to clearly define the problem, identify risk and protective factors, and develop, implement, and evaluate interventions to prevent suicide. The President’s Commission urged “swiftly implementing and enhancing the NSSP to serve as a blueprint for communities and all levels of government.” High-risk groups need to be encouraged to “seek help for mental health problems and to understand that suicide is preventable.”

Scope of the Problem

Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the United States in 2000, accounting for more deaths than from homicide or HIV/AIDS. Each year, suicide claims about 30,000 American lives. Of particular concern, suicide rates for young adults, the elderly, and the American Indian/Alaska Native populations are increasing at an alarming rate. Since the 1950s, the rate of suicide among adolescents aged 15 to 19 has tripled. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds and the fourth leading cause of death among youth aged 10 to 14. Suicide rates are highest among Americans aged 65 and older, particularly among men.

Need for Expanded Programs at CDC and SAMHSA/CMHS

CDC - An increase of $5 million over the FY 2004 appropriation of $2.7 million is requested for suicide prevention activities at CDC. This additional funding would support suicide prevention research and demonstration projects to identify promising and effective suicide prevention strategies. Such critically needed research will enhance the knowledge base about risk and protective factors and the consequences of suicidal behavior in order to develop more effective prevention strategies.

SAMHSA/CMHS - The President’s Budget for FY 2005 includes about $3 million each for the Suicide Hotline and the Suicide Resource Center – a combined total of merely $36,000 over FY 2004. Moreover, while the President’s Budget provides a small increase of $4 million for the Children’s Mental Health Services Program, it proposes to eliminate the $5 million mental health support program for older adults. Additional funds are needed to support these suicide prevention programs, as well as the Community Mental Health Block Services Grant, Children’s State Incentive Grants, School-Based Violence Prevention Programs, and the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative.

For further information, please contact Annie Toro, J.D., at 202-336-6068 or Denis Nissim-Sabat at 202-336-6104, in APA’s Public Policy Office.

March 2004

Back to Top^