Suicide Prevention

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) — Free and confidential support for people in distress.
Dial 988
Veterans Crisis Line — Always available to talk or chat, both for crisis intervention and to support friends and loved ones.
Call 1-800-273-8255 Press 1 or Text 838255 or Chat online

The Trevor Project— Counselors support LGBTQ+ youth 24/7. For people younger than age 25 in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk.

Call 1-866-488-7386, Text START to 678678, or Chat online

Trans Lifeline— Trans-led organization that connects trans people to community, peer support, and resources one needs to survive and thrive.
Call 877-565-8860

Vermont 2-1-1— Provides information and connections to treatment through the state's crisis services.
Call 2-1-1

Find a Designated Agency for Mental Health in your Vermont county.

There is often not a single cause of suicide. For many people, it results from multiple stressors and health issues. Learn the warning signs, and if you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide, get help immediately.

Many people who die by suicide show one or more warning signs, often through what they say or do.  

What they might say:  

• They want to die  
• They feel like a burden to others.    
• They feel deep guilt or shame.  

What they might feel:

• Empty, hopeless, trapped or having no reason to live  
• Extremely sad, more anxious, agitated, or full of rage  
• Emotional or physical pain that feels unbearable.  

What they might do:

• Make a plan or research ways to die  
• Pull away from friends, say goodbye, give away important items, or write a will  
• Take dangerous risks such as driving very fast
• Show extreme mood swings  
• Eat or sleep more or less than usual
• Use drugs or alcohol more often 

Risk Factors are things that can raise a person's chance of suicide. They come from a person's life, relationships, community, and society. Having a risk factor doesn't mean someone will attempt suicide, but it does raise the chance. 

• Stressful life events or crises, such as job loss, relationship trouble, and major life transitions  
• Discrimination or stress based on race or ethnicity 
• Access to lethal means (including firearms and medications) 
• Feeling alone or  cut off from others
• Living through a traumatic event
• Adverse childhood experiences 
• Mental health disorders and conditions like depression or anxiety
• Chronic health conditions 
• Not being able to get mental health care
• Knowing someone who died by suicide, especially a family member
• Significant dates such as anniversaries of a loved one's death or birth

• Alcohol or drug use

Find out more about Risk Factors and Warning Signs from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Risk factors vary by group. Here are some examples of how some factors can impact groups differently:

• Stress resulting from prejudice and discrimination (family rejection, bullying, violence) is a known risk factor for suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.
• Family conflict, acculturation, hopelessness, racism, and discrimination are among the most significant risk factors in Black populations  
• Alcohol, mental health services access and use, alienation, and acculturation are among the most significant risk factors for Hispanic/Latinx populations.  
• Stigma surrounding mental illness and help-seeking behavior, familial expectations, underdiagnosed mental health conditions, and family conflict are among the identified risk factors for Asian American populations.
• For middle-aged men, life stressors that challenge traditional male roles, such as unemployment and divorce, have been identified as risk factors.
• People experiencing poverty, especially in rural areas, are at risk due to increased life stressors and lack of access to adequate and affordable behavioral health care.
• Older adults and youth experience higher levels of social isolation.
• First responders (including EMS, fire, law enforcement, and emergency dispatchers) and military veterans have stressors, including exposure to traumatic events such as death by suicide, higher rates of post-traumatic stress, the stigma associated with seeking help, and increased access to lethal means. 

Protective Factors

Many things can reduce the risk of suicide. These are personal or environmental characteristics that help protect people from suicide. Some protective factors include:  

Individual Protective Factors

• Effective coping and problem-solving skills
• Reasons for living (for example, family, friends, pets, etc.)
• Strong sense of cultural identity  

Relationship  Factors

• Support from partners, friends, and family
• Feeling connected to others

Community Factors

• Feeling connected to school, community, and other social institutions
• Availability of consistent and high-quality physical and behavioral healthcare  

Societal  Factors

• Reduced access to lethal means of suicide among people at risk
• Cultural, religious, or moral objections to suicide

Best practices for safely storing firearms:

• Keep them unloaded.
• Keep them locked in a secure location.
• Store ammunition separately and locked up.  

Secure storage of firearms in the home can help prevent injuries and deaths. According to the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 43% of all Vermont households store firearms in or around their home. Research shows that the presence of firearms in the home increases the risk of dying by suicide. During a suicidal or mental health crisis, there are options for temporarily storing potentially dangerous things, like firearms or medicines.  

In Vermont:

• Most firearm injuries are accidental (61%). The rest are from violence or assault (16%) or intentional self-harm (13%).
• Most firearm deaths are due to suicide (91%). Homicides account for 9% of firearm deaths.

Talk with your children about firearm safety. Be sure that they know to stay away from firearms in a friend’s home or elsewhere and to tell a trusted adult if they see or find a firearm.

Talk with the parents of your children’s friends. Find out if they have firearms in their homes. If they do, ask that they keep them unloaded, locked up, and out of children’s reach.

The way we talk about suicide matters. 

Asking someone if they are thinking of suicide will not plant the idea in their mind. Listening to someone can help save a life. For help in talking to someone about suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 

Media reporting on suicide can positively or negatively affect the community, especially after a suicide death. For best practices on responsible reporting on suicide, the Action Alliance has created a Framework for Successful Messaging on Suicide Prevention. The Framework for Successful Messaging is a research-based resource that outlines four critical issues when messaging to the public about suicide. 

Groups across Vermont are working to reduce the number of deaths by suicide, increase the number of people seeking help for suicide, and improve the health care people get when they have thoughts of suicide.  

We are working to raise awareness about the importance of mental health in society. It is okay to talk about your mental health, and it is okay to ask others how they are doing. We need to eliminate the stigma around talking about mental health.  

Projects in Vermont include:

• CDC Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Grant. Vermont has received a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to strengthen suicide prevention efforts across the state. The grant supports a coordinated, public health approach that uses data to better understand suicide, improve prevention efforts, strengthen partnerships, and increase access to care and support for Vermonters. It also helps improve collaboration between health care, behavioral health, and community organizations so people can get the help they need when they need it. 
• Garrett-Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grant. Vermont has received a five-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to strengthen youth suicide prevention across the state. The grant supports training for educators, health care providers, and community members; expands suicide prevention programs for youth and families; helps health care organizations improve suicide care through the Zero Suicide framework; strengthens support after a suicide loss or attempt; and uses data to guide and improve prevention efforts. 
• Zero Suicide in Vermont Health Care. Many people experiencing suicidal thoughts interact with the health care system before a suicide attempt. The Zero Suicide framework helps health care and behavioral health organizations improve how they identify, support, and care for people experiencing suicidal thoughts or other mental health challenges. Vermont partners with hospitals, clinics, and behavioral health organizations across the state to implement this evidence-based approach and improve the quality and consistency of suicide care. 
• Mental Health First Aid. Youth Mental Health First Aid and Teen Mental Health First Aid are programs that teach people how to understand and respond to someone in distress.
• Expanding Vermont's 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week for anyone experiencing emotional distress, thoughts of suicide, or another mental health crisis. When Vermonters call or text 988, they can often be connected with trained counselors here in Vermont.
• Emergency Department Surveillance of Nonfatal Suicide-Related Outcomes grant. Vermont was awarded a 3-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve the timeliness of surveillance of suicide-related outcomes
• National Violent Death Reporting Systems grant. Vermont received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to participate in the National Violent Death Reporting System. This system combines information from multiple sources—including death certificates, medical examiner reports, law enforcement records, and toxicology reports—to better understand the circumstances surrounding violent deaths, including suicides.

Data helps guide Vermont's suicide prevention work. Studying trends in suicidal thoughts, attempts, and deaths helps experts focus on the groups most at risk. Visit our Injury Data page for all data briefs and reports about suicide and self-harm injury in Vermont.

See our performance measure scorecard for details about suicide prevention efforts. The scorecards reflect how we are doing in our efforts to promote mental health and reduce self-harm and suicide death. 

Vermont

• Facing Suicide VT
• Vermont Department of Mental Health

National

• National Suicide Prevention Resource Center
• National Institute of Mental Health
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Suicide Prevention Resources
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention