Suicide Prevention Month: MUSC's Commitment to Saving Lives

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a good reminder of the importance of keeping a spotlight on suicide prevention throughout the year.

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, suicide deaths increased about 32 percent over the past two decades.

Suicide is also the second leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 10 and 24. Children are facing increasing mental health challenges, with both teen girls (57%) and teen boys (29%) saying they felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021.

A recent survey conducted by the CDC in 2023 showed that nearly one in three teen girls said they seriously considered attempting suicide. That same survey showed that 52 percent of LGBQT+ students had experienced depression, and more than one in five attempted suicide in the past year.

In the United States, someone dies by suicide every 11 minutes. Globally, this increases to one suicide every 40 seconds. In the past 20 years, suicide deaths have increased by more than 32 percent — that's a number that we cannot ignore.

These figures underscore the urgent need for mental health interventions and prevention services. MUSC Health has many programs and services to help support patients' mental health.

Zero Suicide Initiative

MUSC's commitment to suicide prevention and education includes its participation in the nationwide Zero Suicide Initiative, a quality improvement model created to help transform system-wide suicide prevention and care. The initiative provides a practical framework for system-wide transformation toward safer suicide care, helping to save lives and protect patients and care team members.

The Zero Suicide initiative is a response to the fact that people experiencing suicidal thoughts often fall through the cracks in a large health care system. Studies have shown that 50 percent of people who died by suicide saw a health care provider in the month before their deaths; 30 percent saw a mental health professional in the month before. This highlights the opportunity that health and behavioral health systems have to provide safer suicide care – to make a real difference by transforming how patients are screened for suicide.

As part of the Zero Suicide effort, at MUSC all patients with suicide risk, regardless of setting, receive evidence-based treatment to address suicidal thoughts and behaviors directly, in addition to treatment for other mental health issues. At-risk patients are treated in the least restrictive setting possible.

MUSC Health medical centers throughout South Carolina earned nine Certified Zero Harm for Suicide Awards in 2023. These awards recognize hospitals with an extraordinary commitment to quality of training, policy, safety planning, screening and follow-up for patients who are at risk of suicide.

MUSC Mental Health Programs

MUSC has a variety of mental health programs to support and treat children and adults experiencing depression, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. These programs are designed to help patients prevent suicidal thoughts and to care for them when they are having them. Our mental health services expand the continuum of care and include both outpatient and inpatient services, with specialty services such as eating disorders and brain stimulation.

MUSC is often at the forefront of depression technology. In 2024, MUSC became the first hospital in the nation to treat a patient with SAINT TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) technology commercially, helping patients with severe treatment resistant depression gain relief in just five days.

MUSC also offers one-on-one therapy, group therapy, ketamine, sleep studies and assists colleges throughout the state in operating their mental health services to help at-risk populations access cutting-edge care.

At MUSC, we are committed to partnering with our care staff and patients for our goal of Zero Suicide. To learn more, call 843-792-9888 or visit MUSC Health Institute of Psychiatry.

Sources

Suicide Statistics (save.org)
Drive to Zero Suicide Award — SC Zero Harm (zeroharmsc.org)
Suicide Data and Statistics | Suicide Prevention | CDC