SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAININGS: EXPERIENCES & RECOMMENDATIONS

Abstract

Suicide rates have generally been on the rise for the last twenty years. While rates were decreasing between 2018 and 2020, they rose again in 2021. Almost two million adults attempted suicide in 2021, which shows the importance of suicide trainings. While there are a multitude of suicide trainings, I focused on four that I have completed. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of trainings that are free, online and self-paced, or made for the general public. As suicide is an issue that can affect multiple areas of life including family, the workplace, and more, it is imperative that effective training on suicide prevention and intervention is more widely available and accessible. In this paper, I will review suicide statistics, as well as generalities of current suicide trainings. I will then review research that has already been done on the effectiveness of suicide trainings, and go more into detail on the four trainings I have completed. Finally, I will describe my experiences with each of the four trainings, and give my recommendations for improving current trainings and creating new ones.