AILSA CHANG, HOST:
All right. In this next story, we're going to be talking about suicide. It's an issue that policymakers are increasingly seeking answers to, as certain groups have seen alarming increases in suicide attempts in recent years. NPR's Katia Riddle reports on new research that suggests many economic and social policies that are not explicitly focused on mental health can also prevent suicide.
KATIA RIDDLE, BYLINE: More states are trying to address growing concern around suicide by passing new laws. Jonathan Purtle studies public health at New York University.
JONATHAN PURTLE: So we looked at the number of bills passed at the state level every year that mentioned suicide, and we see that going up from a little bit over 50 in 1993 to over 300 in 2023. And these are bills passed - right? - so a lot of state legislative activity.
RIDDLE: But despite this increase in effort to prevent suicide, there hasn't been consensus on what kind of public policy is the most effective in reducing risk. These researchers looked at which states had the lowest rates of suicide and what public health strategies they have in place. They found that some of the programs that helped the most had nothing explicitly to do with suicide prevention.
PURTLE: Having higher minimum wage, having greater unemployment benefits, things like that showing evidence of preventing suicide death.
RIDDLE: States that improved economic security for people had lower rates of suicide. This paper is published in the Annual Review of Public Health. It's a peer-reviewed journal. Researchers also found lower rates in states with more access to mental health support. Laws around substance abuse also matter.
PURTLE: And then in terms of policies that limit access to alcohol and tobacco, we see some pretty strong evidence.
RIDDLE: And access to guns. Younger people are especially vulnerable to suicide. States with stronger penalties for parents who don't store their firearm safely had lower suicide rates. Michael Lindsey is dean of the School of Social work at NYU. He also worked on this study.
MICHAEL LINDSEY: It is this sort of caustic environment that we create, whether by intention or otherwise, that is really the accelerant, if you will, to suicide risk.
RIDDLE: Lindsey and other experts on this topic say they're hopeful these findings will give policymakers some direction.
LINDSEY: I think that's what stands out for me, is that, you know, we can do something about it with more information and the political will.
RIDDLE: Political will, he says, to save lives. Katia Riddle, NPR News.
CHANG: And if you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
(SOUNDBITE OF LANA DEL REY SONG, "ART DECO") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.