Most efforts to prevent suicide focus on why people take their lives. But as we understand more about who attempts suicide and when and where and why, it becomes increasingly clear that how a person attempts--the means they use--plays a key role in whether they live or die.

"Means reduction" (reducing the odds that an attempter will use highly lethal means) is an important part of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. It is based on the following understandings (click on each to learn more):

• Many suicide attempts occur impulsively during a crisis.
• Intent isn't all that determines whether an attempter lives or dies; means also matter.
• 90% of attempters who survive do NOT go on to die by suicide later.
• Access to firearms is a risk factor for suicide.
• Firearms used in youth suicide usually belong to a parent.
• Reducing access to lethal means saves lives.

Firearm access can be a politically-charged topic. This website, however, is designed to introduce a non-controversial, "lethal means counseling" approach to reducing a suicidal person's access to firearms and other lethal means.

The Harvard Injury Control Research Center is dedicated to reducing injury through training, research, intervention, evaluation, and dissemination. The Center has published hundreds of studies on injury topics ranging from motor vehicle crashes to alcohol use to youth violence and suicide. The Center is part of the Harvard School of Public Health.

The Means Matter Campaign is funded by The Joyce Foundation and the David Bohnett Foundation.

The mission of the Means Matter Campaign is to increase the proportion of suicide prevention groups who promote activities that reduce a suicidal person's access to lethal means of suicide.

• ^{People with a history of mental illness were as likely as those without to live in a household with a gun and to store guns loaded and unlocked, according to a study that used data from 5,692 respondents to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. [Ilgen MA, Zivin K, McCammon RJ, Valenstein M. Mental illness, previous suicidality, and access to guns in the United States. Psychiatr Serv. 2008 Feb;59(2):198-200.]}
• ^{Despite being the most common method of suicide and homicide in youth, gun access was assessed by psychiatric residents in only 3% of pediatric patients who visited a psychiatric emergency department. [Giggie MA, Olvera RL, Joshi MN. Screening for risk factors associated with violence in pediatric patients presenting to a psychiatric emergency department. J Psychiatr Pract. 2007 Jul;13(4):246-52.]}

 

If you are in crisis or need support, call 1/800/273-8255.