Training Health Professionals
About the issue
Health professionals regularly come into contact with individuals who are at risk of suicide. Despite the comorbidity or co-occurrence of mental health disorders and suicide, the vast majority of mental health professionals — a group that includes psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, licensed counselors, and psychiatric nurses — do not typically receive routine training in suicide assessment, treatment or risk management. Primary care providers are also in a unique position to identify those at risk of suicide and enact appropriate intervention methods. Of people who die by suicide, almost half had contact with their primary care provider in the month before death, and three out of every four had contact with their primary care provider in the year before death.▲ Back to Top
Where we stand
AFSP recognizes that the training of health professionals in suicide assessment, treatment, and management is a crucial step toward reducing the suicide rate. We have made mandated suicide prevention training for these key gatekeepers a public policy priority. Currently, we are focused on supporting state-level legislation and regulatory efforts in order to reach the end goal for all 50 states to require such training for health professionals.
To learn more, read our Health Professional Training issue brief.▲ Back to Top