U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention

About this resource:

HHS Non-systematic Review

Source: Office of the Surgeon General

Last Reviewed: January 2021

Workgroups: Mental Health and Mental Disorders Workgroup, Access to Health Services Workgroup

This Call to Action recognizes suicide as a complex issue that needs far-reaching solutions. Suicide prevention efforts must combine strategies, like:

  • Promoting resilience and wellness
  • Identifying and supporting at-risk individuals and groups
  • Responding helpfully to crisis situations
  • Caring for those at risk of suicide 
  • Supporting people affected by suicide

People with lived experience must guide this work, and it should be tailored for groups who are disproportionately affected by suicide, like:

  • Military service members
  • Veterans
  • Indigenous communities
  • Ethnic, racial, sexual, and gender minorities
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Objectives related to this resource (8)

Increase the proportion of children with mental health problems who get treatment — MHMD‑03
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of adults with serious mental illness who get treatment — MHMD‑04
Improving
Increase the proportion of adults with depression who get treatment — MHMD‑05
Target met or exceeded
Increase the proportion of adolescents with depression who get treatment — MHMD‑06
LHI label
Target met or exceeded
Increase the proportion of people with substance use and mental health disorders who get treatment for both — MHMD‑07
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of primary care visits where adolescents and adults are screened for depression — MHMD‑08
Little or no detectable change
Reduce suicidal thoughts in lesbian, gay, or bisexual high school students — LGBT‑06
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of adults who get recommended evidence-based preventive health care — AHS‑08
Getting worse

Suggested Citation

1.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Surgeon General. (2021). The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sprc-call-to-action.pdf [PDF - 290 KB]