Policies around economic security, alcohol use and safety restrictions have strongest potential for reducing suicide deaths
An analysis led by Jonathan Purtle, associate professor of public health policy and management, determines which public policies effectively prevent suicide deaths in the United States. But it’s not just policies that limit firearms and expand access to health care—many economic and social policies that are not explicitly focused on mental health can also prevent suicide, according to their article published in the Annual Review of Public Health.
“Most of the policies that demonstrate evidence do not mention suicide and were not passed to prevent suicide. They are policies that are intended to address other issues—for instance, increasing minimum wage to promote economic security or reducing alcohol consumption—but they have spillover benefits in that they also prevent suicides,” said Purtle.
“This research highlights the importance of considering social determinants in suicide prevention,” said Michael A. Lindsey, Dean and Paulette Goddard Professor of Social Work at the NYU Silver School of Social Work and a study co-author. “An individual’s mental well-being is influenced not only by clinical factors, but also by their environment, circumstances and experiences.”
In addition to Purtle and Lindsey, study authors include Amanda Mauri of the NYU School of Global Public Health and Katherine Keyes of the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health were additional authors of the study. The research is supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH131649).