Related Topics
Suicide made easier
Editorial in the New York Times, February 15, 2013, referencing Harvard Injury Control Research Center
Harvard School of Public Health experts offer insights on curbing U.S. gun violence
January 22, 2013 -- In the wake of the horrific school shootings in Newtown, Conn. in December, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) experts have been interviewed in many media outlets on a range of issues relating to…

Comprehensive public health approach urged to curb gun violence in U.S.
For immediate release: Monday, January 7, 2013 Boston, MA -- In the wake of the horrific school shootings in Newtown, Conn. in December, three Harvard experts say the best way to curb gun violence in the U.S. is…
Health Policy News: Chicago's new handgun ordinance won't make families safer
HSPH’s David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center and the Youth Violence Prevention Center, is quoted in a Chicago Tribune op-ed (July 9, 2010) which argues against Chicago’s new handgun ordinance. The article cites research by Hemenway and…
Physicians urged to broaden suicide prevention by addressing access to guns and other lethal means when focusing on patient's mental health
For immediate release: September 3, 2008 Boston, MA - In an effort to create safer environments for potentially suicidal individuals, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health demonstrate how physicians can broaden their treatment of such patients…
Guns and suicide: Means matter
[ Spring 2008 ] More people die using a firearm than all other means combined, including suffocation (e.g., hanging or drowning), poisoning (e.g., drug overdoses), leaping from great heights, and cutting. Most gun users are middle-aged and male. These bar…
Gun prevalence and suicide rank by state
Mapping the Overlap As these maps show, the correlation between guns and suicide is strong but inexact, since both are influenced by poverty, population density, and crime. The nine states that rank lowest in terms of gun prevalence are…
Guns and suicide: A fatal link
[ Spring 2008 ] In the United States, suicides outnumber homicides almost two to one. Perhaps the real tragedy behind suicide deaths—about 30,000 a year, one for every 45 attempts—is that so many could be prevented. Research shows that whether…