#suicide-prevention

#suicide-prevention

The iconic Golden Gate Bridge has a dark side. Historically, an average of 30 people each year have climbed over the four-foot railing and jumped to their deaths. Not anymore. In the second half of 2025, there were no confirmed suicides. What's different? And are would-be jumpers now dying by suicide in other places or using other means? The answers to these questions are important in themselves and for suicide prevention more broadly.

David's story is more than just dodging a bullet it is a powerful testament to the critical importance of suicide prevention strategies that focus on encouraging temporarily limiting firearm access whether through secure storage at home or transfer away from home. Fresh approaches are desperately needed, since U.S. suicide rates have been steadily rising for two decades. To reverse this trend, we must address access to firearms, which account for 55% of all U.S. suicide deaths.

FRANKLIN'S VOICE: Hello, Joseph. Trouble? JOSEPH'S VOICE: Looks like we'll have to send someone down. There are a lot of people asking for help for a man named Larry Carlat. FRANKLIN'S VOICE: Larry Carlat? Yes! Tonight's his crucial night. You're right. We'll have to send someone down immediately. Whose turn is it? JOSEPH'S VOICE: That's why I came to see you, sir. It's that little restaurant manager's turn again.

I was so panicked by the grief I might experience if my loved one died that it prevented me from giving my loved one what I needed [to]," says Lambert, 54, who lives in London. That was back in 2017. Over time, through trial and error, Lambert says, she learned she had to put her own feelings aside in the moment and focus on the person in front of her.

In my lab, we watch dozens of videos of clinicians participating in five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of the "Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality" (CAMS) developed in the SPL (Jobes, 2023). Among the ongoing RCTs, I have some observations to share from two particular multisite RCTs that are funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

How could I return to ordinary life after my son died? My grief was overwhelming, spilling into every task and coloring every interaction. Condolences triggered fresh crying jags. I wondered how my eyes could produce so many tears. Over time, however, my work began to draw me in again, demanding that I return to the scientific questions that had defined my career.

Some sort of physical barrier is needed to prevent suicides. The most obvious barrier is a tall railing that isn't easily surmounted. Examples are barriers on the Bloor Street Bridge in Toronto, Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. All three were frequent sites for suicide jumps, and the installation of tall railings has virtually ended suicides from these locations.

Carter, founder of Mental Health Is Real Wealth, leads a bi-monthly mental health group in Los Angeles' Leimert Park neighborhood, and on a recent Thursday, 15 Black men gathered inside a conference room without pressure and without women. As the men walked in, they dapped each other up and leaned in for an embrace.

Recent years have seen alarming increases in youth self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Parents, educators, and mental health experts are naturally concerned, and many blame social media. Governments have begun taking notice as well. In Australia, for instance, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill will soon make it illegal for young people under 16 to access major social media platforms, effective December 2025.

For more than 20 years, I have worked in suicide prevention-a journey that began after losing my own father to suicide. I have interviewed hundreds of people around the world who've stood at the edge of despair and survived. But this story felt different. It wasn't just about pain, loss, or even mental illness. It was about a new kind of relationship -one between human vulnerability and AI.

According to the NYPD, the 30-year-old man was on the tracks on the B and C line at the station at West 96th Street and Central Park West when an oncoming train hit him around 7:05 a.m. Monday. Police said the train operator saw the man on the tracks but was not able to stop the train in time. Police said the man was pronounced dead on the scene around 7:30 a.m.