In 2016, there were 44,695 deaths by suicide in the United States. Suicide accounts for 1.6% of all deaths and is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Suicide attempts are much more common, with more than 1 million people per year attempting suicide. In response to this critical need in 2009, the National Institute for Mental Health funded ED Safety Assessment and Follow-up Evaluation (ED-SAFE). ED-SAFE was a large, three-phase suicide intervention trial designed to determine if an ED-initiated intervention could reduce subsequent suicidal behavior. Read more about the how the ED-SAFE study developed and tested a feasible approach to universal emergency department-based screening for suicide risk, as well as effective interventions that can be initiated at the emergency department visit. A Spanish translation of this publication is available for download.

This Issue Brief examines the impact and stressors for police officers of responding to completed suicide calls. The authors present findings from a study of over 225 Massachusetts police officers and offer training recommendations to address mental health needs within the law enforcement community.