If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting \u201c988.\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Nearly every Tuesday for a decade, Steve Siple attended a bar trivia night with friends in Birmingham, Alabama. After moving to North Carolina, he developed a new ritual \u2014 joining other Charlotte locals<\/a> on Saturdays to pick up trash along the city\u2019s light rail.<\/p>\n These are more than fun outings to Siple. They help keep him alive.<\/p>\n Siple has battled suicidal thoughts in the past. He lost his father to suicide, and one of his sons has struggled with thoughts of hurting himself.<\/p>\n That\u2019s made Siple vigilant about protecting himself and his family. In addition to seeing a counselor regularly and speaking openly about mental health, he prioritizes social connection.<\/p>\n \u201cLoneliness was, over my lifetime, one of the greatest risk factors\u201d for suicide, said Siple, a former board chair<\/a> for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.<\/p>\n To some, this concept may seem obvious. Yet in the overall approach to suicide prevention, it\u2019s often overlooked. Treatment of a serious mental illness that can lead to suicide, such as major depressive disorder, often centers on medication and talk therapy with little or no consideration of factors such as social isolation or financial duress. Now, there\u2019s a growing movement to address loneliness not just through personal choices but also through public policy.<\/p>\n The research is clear: Among the various complex issues that contribute to suicide, loneliness<\/a> is a big one<\/a>. It\u2019s a particularly strong predictor<\/a> for older adults, who have the highest rates of suicide,<\/a> and for youths, for whom suicide is the second-leading cause of death<\/a>.<\/p>\n Humans are social animals. When we feel cut off from one another, our stress levels increase<\/a>, our immune systems are disrupted<\/a>, and ultimately we\u2019re likely to die earlier<\/a> (by suicide or of other causes<\/a>). An oft-cited study<\/a> concluded that being socially disconnected is as harmful to one\u2019s health as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s getting worse.<\/p>\n Mental health researchers and clinicians say a variety of factors are fueling increased rates of loneliness<\/a> in America, including the rapid growth of technology<\/a>, such as smartphones and artificial intelligence<\/a>; increased political polarization<\/a>; the shift to remote work<\/a> since the covid pandemic; and decreased participation in religious institutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n With suicide rates remaining stubbornly high \u2014 often ranking among the top 10 causes of death<\/a> in America \u2014 some advocates and people who have lost loved ones to suicide say increasing pathways to social connection could be a new frontier.<\/p>\n In this ongoing series<\/a>, KFF Health News is examining new approaches to suicide prevention that shift the focus from stopping harm in moments of crisis to efforts that give people reasons to live well before they make fateful choices.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we want to reduce suicide rates in our country, which is absolutely essential, then a key part of that has to be fostering social connection,\u201d said Vivek Murthy,<\/a> who served as surgeon general under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. \u201cWe have more than enough data to support this as being an important area of focus.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2023, Murthy released the first U.S. Surgeon General\u2019s Advisory<\/a> on loneliness as a public health issue, with more than 300 supporting citations. He\u2019s also written a book<\/a> on the topic and is touring the country discussing the value of social connection.<\/p>\n \u201cTo help someone else feel less alone, to help them feel seen and understood and valued,\u201d he told KFF Health News, \u201cthat can be one of the most powerful interventions that we make.\u201d<\/p>\n A Role for Elected Officials<\/strong><\/p>\n Curing loneliness may seem like the responsibility of families and neighbors, people making one-to-one connections. But Murthy says elected officials have work to do, too.<\/p>\n They can use their bully pulpits to turn this into a mainstream issue, he said. They can create microgrants to support grassroots ideas from community entrepreneurs and invest in \u201csocial infrastructure,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n That term refers to things in the community that support the development of social connection, from physical spaces, such as libraries and parks, to policies and programs, such as building public transportation and fostering volunteer groups.<\/p>\n \u201cThese all matter and impact whether people gather,\u201d Murthy said.<\/p>\n However, investing in public institutions and infrastructure is a costly endeavor that can seem unreasonable when local officials are struggling to balance budgets without increasing tax burdens.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where creativity can kick in.<\/p>\n A health system and a museum in Charlotte have teamed up to provide \u201cprescriptions\u201d<\/a> for people to attend art classes or live performances together. In Tennessee, the city of Chattanooga is funding community ideas to increase connection and time in nature, including benches<\/a> where people can speak with volunteer listeners. And across the country, men\u2019s sheds<\/a> have popped up as places where men can work on projects side by side and discuss their mental health.<\/p>\n Meal Deliveries and Valentines<\/strong><\/p>\n Marcie O\u2019Neal knew she wouldn\u2019t have much money at her disposal. She was hired in 2024 to lead suicide prevention efforts in the rural Pennyrile region<\/a> of western Kentucky after local leaders saw a rise in suicides among the elderly. Her grant was about $280,000 \u2014 less than $3 per person in the region<\/a>.<\/p>\n But she knew the nine-county area had other strengths, such as dedicated meal delivery programs and high school clubs.<\/p>\n Drivers who drop off prepared meals to homebound residents \u201ccan be the only person that an older adult sees in the week,\u201d O\u2019Neal said.<\/p>\n The state had already been training some of those drivers to recognize warning signs of suicide among older people and alert county agencies to follow up with them. O\u2019Neal thought there could be another component.<\/p>\n She reached out to high school Beta clubs<\/a>, which focus on fostering leadership skills and volunteerism, across the nine counties and asked them to write cards that could be distributed to older residents along with meals. The response was swift, O\u2019Neal said.<\/p>\n About 1,200 cards were delivered last May. They repeated the gesture in February for Valentine\u2019s Day and again this May.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neal said one of the older residents told her, \u201cI don\u2019t remember the last time I got a Valentine\u2019s card.\u201d<\/p>\n The students also enjoyed feeling as if they made a difference, O\u2019Neal said. She\u2019s helping one school set up an ongoing pen pal program with a nearby retirement community.<\/p>\n Locals affectionately call O\u2019Neal \u201cthe suicide lady\u201d \u2014 a term she considers \u201ca badge of honor.\u201d<\/p>\n Suicide prevention \u201cdoesn\u2019t have to be sweeping huge things,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little thing you can do that can kind of snowball into more things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018The Secret Sauce\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Siple, who has prioritized social connection through the trivia nights and volunteer clean-ups, felt most alone when he transitioned from a job at a commercial bank to working at home.<\/p>\n He spent most of his day analyzing Excel sheets, drafting grant proposals, and compiling recommendations for clients. The work felt important, but it was isolating, Siple said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf my wife or kids were around during the evening, I was safe,\u201d he said. Holding meetings at coffee shops helped, too.<\/p>\n But when it was just him at his desk, \u201cthat\u2019s where I got the darkest lonely feelings,\u201d he said, including thoughts of suicide.<\/p>\n Breaking out of that required seeking new connections.<\/p>\n Siple said church was a great anchor for him and his wife \u2014 not just on Sundays but throughout the week at Bible studies and potlucks. They also go to see a variety of live music, including bluegrass and alternative rock.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing with folks that are into the same type of music that we\u2019re into for a concert feels like connection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Research suggests sports can play a similar role in some instances. At least two studies have found major sporting events<\/a> are associated with lower suicide rates<\/a>. The authors posit it\u2019s because people coming together to support their team or to enjoy the event creates a sense of belonging, which is protective.<\/p>\n That concept resonates with Sarah Brummett<\/a>, who has worked on suicide prevention efforts at the state and national level<\/a> and helps run Sources of Strength, an upstream prevention program. Fostering that sense of belonging has played a central role in each of those initiatives, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t eliminate hard stuff in our lives,\u201d said Brummett, who lost five friends to suicide, starting in middle school.<\/p>\n \u201cBelonging is really the secret sauce,\u201d she said, \u201cfor how we, as humans, can navigate really hard things.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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