Last week, a 23-year-old man who, according to police, was obsessed with previous mass shooters, opened fire at a school in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 18 others. It was the latest mass shooting to make headlines, and it ended the way most of them do, with the gunman killing himself. In highly publicized cases, the horror looms large in the public consciousness.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 13 million individuals seriously consider suicide annually, and around 1.5 million attempt suicide. Preliminary data for 2024 indicate a potential increase in the age-adjusted suicide rate, estimated at 14.7 per 100,000 people. In the nearly two years since the launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in 2022, the phone line has received more than 10 million contacts. Monthly call volume has surpassed 600,000 calls per month since early 2025.