Suicide is a major global public health issue, affecting people where they live, work, pray, and play. Each year, more than 700,000 people die by suicide worldwide, including nearly 50,000 in the United States. While some countries have had suicide prevention strategies for decades, limited investment has contributed to rising suicide-related inequities. In recent years, rates have declined among white Americans but increased among marginalized and minoritized populations, particularly youth.
Despite effective interventions, most individuals who die by suicide are not identified as at risk—often despite contact with emergency care, primary care, or psychiatric services in the months prior to death. A universal, culturally sensitive approach to suicide risk screening is urgently needed in diverse community settings. Many at-risk individuals never seek healthcare due to stigma or access barriers, making public health–driven detection a critical missing link. When linked to accessible, brief interventions, upstream screening can accelerate care, predict suicide deaths, and reduce suicide rates, with particular benefit for marginalized groups.
Early interventions may include brief counseling on lethal means safety, teaching problem-solving and coping skills, enhancing social support, and providing evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide (CBT-S), Safety Planning Intervention (SPI), and Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS).
This symposium will review current knowledge on suicide prevention across U.S. settings, present data on implementing a universal, culturally sensitive screening tool that connects those at risk with local resources, and highlight strategies to protect the mental health of the healthcare workforce.
Format
Recorded webinar, non-interactive, self-paced distance learning activity.
This presentation was recorded at the 2024 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.
Learning Objectives
- Describe the current state of knowledge about suicide and suicide prevention across various settings
- Present data on the rollout of a universal culturally sensitive screening tool
- Discuss the use of upstream detection methods linked to timely intervention
- Explain how culturally sensitive methods can protect and support the healthcare workforce
Target Audience
Medical Students, Residents/Fellows, Psychiatrists
Estimated Time to Complete
Estimated Duration: 1.5 hours
Begin Date: September 1, 2025
End Date: September 1, 2028
How to Earn Credit
Participants who wish to earn 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the event date and hours earned.
Continuing Education Credit
In support of improving patient care, the American Psychiatric Association is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
The APA designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Faculty and Planner Disclosures
The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.
Program Presenters
- Diane Clarke, PhD
- Kelly Posner Gerstenhaber, PhD
- Dale Adair, MD
- Maria Oquendo, MD, PhD
Program Planners
- Vishal Madaan, MD. Chief of Education and Deputy Medical Director, APA.
Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities
The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.
Technical Requirements
This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:
- The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
- Internet Explorer 11+
This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.
Optimal System Configuration:
- Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
- Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
- Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher
Minimum Requirements:
- Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
- Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance