COVID-19 and Suicide – Why Our Messaging Matters

Since its launch in 2010, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance)—the nation’s public-private partnership for suicide prevention housed at Education Development Center—has led efforts to align the field’s messaging about suicide and suicide prevention to both elevate awareness and spur action⁷, since coordinated messaging—distributed by various partners and channels—has a better chance of achieving impact and creating change. For example, a review on coordinated messaging found there is “greater success associated with repeated exposure to messages through multiple types of media and with…organized efforts that tailor messages to homogenous populations.”⁸ Furthermore, evidence suggests that informational messages promoting relatively straightforward actions can change behavior in broad populations.⁸

That’s why the Action Alliance—in its role convening leaders from government, business, and the non-profit sector—regularly activates its Messaging Work Group (MWG) to respond to data releases, new research, or other timely events or topics that would benefit from a coordinated and action-oriented response.⁹ The Action Alliance’s MWG is comprised of nearly 25 leading public and private sector partners at the forefront of national mental health and suicide prevention efforts who are committed to collective, aligned, and action-oriented prevention-focused messaging.

In the wake of COVID-19 and potentially harmful messaging appearing in both traditional and social media, the Action Alliance’s MWG led efforts to identify key messages about suicide prevention and mental health in the context of the pandemic.¹⁰ These key messages include:  

• Acting now can help prevent negative mental health impacts of the pandemic.
  
  
  • We must respond to both our nation’s physical and mental health needs during, and in the aftermath of, this public health emergency. Just like we have taken steps to mitigate the physical impact of COVID-19, we must also take steps as a country to mitigate the potential mental health impacts.
    
    
• The mental health impacts of the pandemic highlight the importance of a national, coordinated effort to promote mental health and prevent suicide.
  
  
  • We have an unprecedented opportunity to address the critical gaps in our nation’s mental health and suicide prevention systems. A national mental health and suicide prevention response must include both traditional and non-traditional sectors, including industries where employees have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 (e.g., airlines, hospitality, restaurants, food and beverage, healthcare).
    
    
• Social connectedness is key and all Americans can play a role in supporting others.
  
  
  • Research indicates that a sense of belonging and social connectedness improves physical, mental, and emotional well-being. In fact, connectedness is a proven protective factor against suicide.
    
    
  • Having a caring and non-judgmental conversation with someone who is struggling or in crisis can help build connection and belonging. There are tools available to help anyone have these types of conversations with the people in their lives, including:
    
    
    • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s #RealConvo,¹¹ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s #BeThe1To,¹² and Mental Health America’s #TimetoTalk.¹³
      
      
  • While early data from 2020 shows overall suicide rates have actually decreased nationwide, we know that some racial/ethnic groups and age demographics have experienced an increase in suicide rates during this same time¹⁴. In addition, we know many Americans have experienced risk factors for suicide, including job loss, financial insecurity, and social isolation.^{15, 2}
    
    
    • Some populations—including minority populations (particularly Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native), frontline workers, LGBTQ youth, or those experiencing job loss or financial strain—may be experiencing increased mental health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public messaging about available resources may help mitigate risk for these populations.
      
      
  • Help is available for those who may be experiencing a mental health or suicidal crisis.
    
    
    • Mental health services, evidence-based treatments, and supports—including telehealth—are available. In addition, if someone is experiencing an emotional crisis or thoughts of suicide, free 24/7, confidential supports are available, such as calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or texting ‘HOME’ to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
      
      
  • When discussing data related to suicide, be sure to include the appropriate context.
    
    
    • For example, increased outreach to crisis services does not necessarily mean more people are suicidal. Instead, it may mean more people are being made aware of a service or are connecting to care when they need it. The media should exercise caution when presenting data—helping the reader to understand the caveats and limitations, avoiding unwarranted causal inferences, and avoiding oversimplified explanations of complex phenomena.

In developing these messages and widely promoting the use of the Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide¹⁶ and other such best practices, the Action Alliance and its MWG equipped the media and others who message to the public about suicide and mental health with the tools needed to share messages that are accurate, consistent, safe, and action-oriented. The goal is to help change the conversation about mental health and suicide prevention and to spur action and help-seeking, especially among those who may be in crisis.