I want

Suicide Prevention: Early Detection, Identification and Treatment

15 June 2025

The myth that anyone who wants to commit suicide will eventually commit suicide is wrong. Studies show that emotional, behavioral, drug and environmental intervention can significantly reduce suicide rates and save lives. The myth that anyone who speaks about suicide will not act is also wrong- it is important to address and pay serious attention to every threat. 

Recommendations for restricting potential access to lethal means   

  • Storage of medications and hazardous substances in a tall, safe and concealed location.  
  • Storage of weapons according to specific instructions in the law. If you have a relative at risk who is in possession of a weapon, suggest that you store the key or code to the secure location where the weapon is stored. 
  • Restrict access to potentially dangerous means, such as knives and razors, cleaning material, pesticides, etc. 
  • Restrict and block access to windows and balconies that are ungated.  

Note: If you know that a family member or friend is at increased risk of suicide, it is particularly important to adhere to these guidelines.  

Emotional First Aid Hotlines 

Hotlines or websites that provide an anonymous and rapid response to anyone in distress are (mostly) active 24/7 and provide service free of charge. The hotlines are staffed by members who have undergone relevant training to provide an initial, professional and immediate response, even at night, when there is difficulty in contacting another source of help. When the risk of suicide is high - the person can be found in order to save his life. 

Support during emotional distress and risk of suicide 

The myth that anyone who wants to commit suicide will eventually commit suicide is wrong. Studies show that emotional, behavioral, drug and environmental intervention can significantly reduce suicide rates and save lives. Today, in light of research, we know that a person who is considering suicide always has deliberations (ambivalence) about the suicidal act and therefore delaying it and intervening at the right time can save lives. The myth that anyone who speaks about suicide will not act is also wrong- it is important to address and pay serious attention to every threat. So, what can be done to prevent suicide? Suicide prevention strategies are various. This page will present the main suicide prevention strategies that are supported by research.  

Restricting access to deadly weapons 

One of the most effective means in preventing suicide is restricting access to deadly weapons. There are important historical examples in suicide prevention using these methods. For example, when the gas in home heaters was changed so that they did not contain deadly quantities of CO, the suicide rate drastically declined. This was done so that a deadly means of suicide would not be readily available, thereby allowing for time to seek assistance or spontaneously regret. Similar cases occurred when access to tall bridges that have become a ‘hot spot’ for suicide has been removed. In Israel, changing the IDF's weapons-carrying policy and reducing the number of soldiers on leave carrying clearly demonstrates implementation of the principle of restricting access to lethal means. A change in policies, coupled with changes in the mental health system in the army, has resulted in a 40% decline in the number of suicides in the IDF.  

Various restrictions buy time 

Time is a critical and essential element in dealing with fluctuations in suicidal intent as studies have shown that many suicides and suicide attempts are carried out impulsively in moments of distress and crisis. Furthermore, the amount of time that has passed between making a decision to commit suicide and actually committing suicide  may be several minutes. In this context, it is important to note that in most cases in which the planned method of suicide is not available, such as access to a bridge that is blocked or the number of pills in a bottle is insufficient, the suicidal individual will immediately pass on finding another method of suicide and will choose not to commit suicide. Subsequently, restricting access to deadly means such as weapons, medication and hazardous chemicals, and protection against dangers such as balconies, bridges and train tracks has proven effective in preventing suicide.  
  
Implementation of restricted access can be seen as a spectrum, ranging between cancellation to long-term intervention. 

  • Cancellation or complete removal: For example, complete restriction on access to weapons. 
  • Delay: For example, interference with access such as installation of banisters and barriers in high places. 
  • Long-term intervention: promotion of educational and social interventions to advance awareness and safety. For example, physician or teacher training programs to explain about the subject of restricted access. 

Recommendations for restricting potential access

Recommendations for restricting potential access to lethal means - that may save lives:

  • Storage of medications and hazardous substances in a tall, safe and concealed location.  
  • Storage of weapons according to specific instructions in the law. If you have a relative at risk who is in possession of a weapon, suggest that you store the key or code to the secure location where the weapon is stored. 
  • Restrict access to potentially dangerous means, such as knives and razors, cleaning material, pesticides, etc. 
  • Restrict and block access to windows and balconies that are ungated.  

Note

Note

If you know that a family member or friend is at increased risk of suicide, it is particularly important to adhere to these guidelines. The recommendation is to speak with the person openly and explain to them that the restrictions are necessary to protect them and will be lifted once the crisis has passed. If you have any concerns of an immediate risk to the life of that person, it is important that you contact the police as soon as possible. 

Emotional First Aid Hotlines 

Hotlines or websites that provide an anonymous and rapid response to anyone in distress are (mostly) active 24/7 and provide service free of charge. The hotlines are staffed by members who have undergone relevant training to provide an initial, professional and immediate response, even at night, when there is difficulty in contacting another source of help. When the risk of suicide is high - the person can be found in order to save his life. 

Support and assistance agencies

Comprehensive information about resources and sources of support and help for people in suicidal distress is available on the National Suicide Prevention Program website.

For information on the Government Services website

Proactive screening of people at risk - prevention through early identification

Proactive screening by the family physician is a program that was successfully developed and studied by the National Institutes of Health in the US and later expanded and translated into many other languages, including Hebrew and Arabic. This is a process in which medical staff, such as doctors and nurses, proactively approach patients to identify signs of mental distress or signs that may indicate risk of suicidal behavior. Screening is carried out through specific questions, clinical assessments, and the use of risk assessment tools and questionnaires, even in cases where the patient does not directly complain of mental distress. 

Proactive screening in these contexts makes a unique contribution to suicide prevention, for a variety of reasons:  

  • Direct access to populations at risk: Emergency room staff and family physicians are frequently the first to encounter individuals suffering from physical or emotional distress. Through proactive screening, people who are not actively seeking mental help but who still may be at high risk of suicide may be reached. 
  • Preventing deterioration through early intervention: Proactive screening in these contexts facilitates early identification of emotional distress, and subsequently referral to relevant treatment when necessary.  
  • Strengthening the role of family physicians and medical staff: Family physicians are frequently the people with long-term relations with patients and can identify changes in mental health, while identifying suicidal risk. Promoting training for proactive screening helps train medical staff to screen and identify patients at risk, thereby helping in their role in the community in the fight to prevent suicide. 
  • Creating support networks and eliminating stigmas: Proactive screening that is performed as part of the medical routine may help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health disabilities and suicide, while encouraging patients to share their distress. Routine discussions about these subjects within medical contexts help build a support network around the patient by including the family and other professionals. 

Initial prevention targets the general population, the training of family physicians and pediatricians to identify and treat depression and prevent suicide. Studies have shown that more than half of the people who committed suicide visited the family physician in the month prior to their suicide. Accordingly, training programs for family physicians on identifying depression and reducing suicide have been found to be highly effective. in cases in which depression is identified and an antidepressant has been prescribed, suicidal behaviors have declined. 

According to research, adolescents and young adults largely use social media to communicate suicidal thoughts and intent. Technological developments such as the “Machine Learning” method allows for the screening and identification of users who are found to be at high risk. The effectiveness of screening for at-risk cases using machine learning in electronic medical records, web-based screening, and smartphone usage monitoring is still in research and development and their effectiveness has not yet been established. The National Suicide Prevention Program works in conjunction with the SAHAR organization to promote screening of people who are at suicidal risk on the internet. Reports received from SAHAR and from other forums are sent to the Ministry of Health’s 105 call center and are handled accordingly. 

Proactive screening in schools 

  • The Proactive Screening programs in schools in which pupils complete self-report questionnaires that measure suicide risk factors: depression, drug use, sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts, suicidal behavior, etc. If the questionnaires reveal or raise suspicion that the pupil is at high risk of suicide, they will be referred to a clinical interview with a psychologist, who will assess the severity of the risk and refer to treatment on a need basis.
  • Such programs are successfully implemented in the vocational school system supervised by the Vocational Training Division of the Israeli Ministry of Labor, among thousands of young men and women who study there. Any student identified as being in distress is immediately referred to a meeting with the school psychologist for a risk assessment and decision on further treatment. 

One of the most striking data that emerged is that approximately 75% of the students who were revealed through self-report questionnaires as at-risk students (experiencing depression, drug use, sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts or suicidal behavior) were not previously known to the educational staff. This indicates the enormous importance of the screening program, which allows for immediate treatment of students and often saves their lives. 

Senior citizens arein a risk group for suicide, hence early screening of this population is critically important. Suicide risk among senior citizens can be identified through self-report questionnaires, as part of routine examinations by family physicians, by government systems such as the National Insurance Institute, as well as by screening adults who show no warning signs but have significant risk factors, for example: have recently experienced significant losses or suffer from health problems, difficulty functioning, chronic pain, loneliness, or have recently been widowed or retired. 

Studies show that suicide prevention interventions among adults that included a 24-hour emergency telephone response along with a proactive telephone service twice a week (for an extended period of time) for lonely senior citizens in the community reduced the level of depression, the number of hospitalizations, and suicides among adults who participated in the program in comparison with senior citizens who did not receive the same support. 

שימו לב

שימו לב

When there is a fear of immediate suicide, it is important to seek emergency care or a psychiatric emergency room.

Educating adolescents on depression and suicidal behavior 

Educating adolescents on depression and suicide helps prevent suicide in several main ways: 

  • Increased awareness and identification of early signs: Adolescents learn to identify signs of emotional distress on their own and among their friends. 
  • Reducing the stigma: Open education on these subjects reduces the sense of shame and embarrassment that may occur when dealing with mental health distress and suicide, thereby encouraging adolescents to seek help if necessary. 
  • Teaching coping mechanisms: Educating adolescents on these subjects provides them with tools to manage stressful situations and distress, thereby reducing the risk of suicidal behavior. 
  • Encouraging social support:  Adolescents can become an available source of support for their friends. 
  • Improved access to professional help: Education increases awareness of the available sources of support such as hotlines and counseling services. 

Identification of warning signs in adolescents - who should be contacted 

Adolescence is a tumultuous period, one in which the adolescent may broadcast signs of distress that you, the parents, find extremely concerning. In many cases, it will be a false alarm, or behavioral and emotional changes that are common in this developmental stage. Being alert to the distress of an adolescent and clues to suicidal ideation are critical and may save lives. Meanwhile, if there is concern that they are at risk of suicide, act in one of the following ways:   

  • Talk to the adolescent: have an honest and open conversation about the situation they are in and, if necessary, seek professional assistance. If the adolescents refuse to talk to you about their feelings, enlist someone close to them to try to understand the situation and talk to them. 
  • Contact the school counselor: The counselor will review the case and recommend a suicidality assessment by the educational psychological service (free of charge) or a psychiatric evaluation. You can also directly contact the Educational Psychological Service in your place of residence . 
  • Contact a family physician or pediatrician: Physicians will issue a referral for psychiatric evaluation or psychological therapy.   
  • Depending on the results of the professional assessment: consider psychological therapy for the adolescent, as well as parental training. 

Suicide prevention among those who are known to be at risk of suicide 

The intervention is targeting those already known to be at risk of suicide, proactive and active outreach to service recipients following discharge from hospitalization, the emergency room, or a suicidal crisis prevents suicidal behavior.With regards to pharmacology, antidepressants have been established as preventing suicide attempts, and the substance ketamine has been found to reduce suicidal thoughts within hours but has not been tested for preventing suicidal behavior.  

Psychotherapy interventions 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for suicide prevention (CBT-SP), dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT), and interpersonal psychotherapy for suicide prevention (IPT-SCI) have been proven to prevent suicidal behavior. Recent years have witnessed developments of these interventions into online self-help versions with or without professional moderation that have been found to be effective in reducing suicidal thoughts. Additional interventions that have been found to be effective in preventing suicide include preparing a personalized "safety plan" for moments of crisis and distress and establishing continuous and caring contact with people at risk, through simple written messages that express support and ongoing presence even after treatment ends. These approaches are still in R&D in an attempt to expand the scope of those who can receive help and overcome barriers to receiving treatment, including limited resources and stigma. 

These therapies, with the necessary adjustments when dealing with children and adolescents, senior citizens, minority groups or special needs populations, contain elements that contribute to the efficacy of the treatment and the prevention of suicide, including: focusing on building a therapeutic bond and alliance, building a personalized treatment plan to guide the intervention, imparting skills and training on limiting resources as part of the safety plan. When it comes to teenagers, involving family members and parents in the intervention, and especially in having them acquire skills, is critical.  

 

Written in conjunction with the National Suicide Prevention Program Written with the assistance of Dr. Shira Barzilai, Clinical Psychologist, Senior Lecturer in Community Mental Health Faculty, Haifa University, and Nadav Horovitz, Clinical Psychologist.