Suicide Prevention
Suicide prevention
According to the CDC, suicide rates increased 36% between 2000 and 2021. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people 10-14 and 20-34 years of age in the U.S.
Our Research and Practice Action Teams (RPATs) are topical areas of focus.
Suicide is a death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with the intent to die. A suicide attempt is self-directed injurious behavior with intent to die but is not fatal and may or may not result in an injury. Suicidal ideation is thinking about, considering, or planning suicide.
Topics we study:
- Trends in Iowa
- Circumstances around suicides
- Firearms in suicides
- Occupational suicides
- Mobile crisis outreach
- Suicides among youth
- Suicide among veterans
- Suicides among rural populations
- Drug overdoses
- Safer gun storage
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988
Blog posts
New research
- An epidemic of inequity: Understanding social drivers of intersectional suicide deaths in the United States
- Online Screening and Personalized Education to Identify Post-Deployment Mental Health Need and Facilitate Access to Care
- Syrian refugee young adults as community mental health workers implementing problem management plus
- Adolescent Mental Health and Resilience Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Partners in suicide prevention
Our Suicide prevention team includes a UI Research Team Lead and a Practice Team Lead:
- Priyanka Vakkalanka, ScM, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine; Principal Investigator, UI IPRC Project 3
- Keri Neblett, LMSW, Executive Officer, Iowa HHS, Bureau of Substance Abuse; Suicide Prevention Director, Zero Suicide Iowa Initiative