Appendix A

Statement of Task

A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize and host a virtual public workshop through two webinars that will explore strategies and interventions to counter the rising prevalence of suicide. The workshop will feature invited presentations and moderated discussions on topics that may include:

• The scope of the public health problem, with a focus on patterns of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and death by suicide
• The current data on the increasing prevalence of death by suicide, such as
  • methods of death by suicide (firearm, suffocation, poisoning, other);
  • variations in death by suicide rates across ethnic and racial groups as well as among veterans, military personnel, and other high-risk groups such as workers in certain occupations;
  • key factors related to increased risk of suicide; and
  • the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on rates of suicide
• What is known about the effectiveness of approaches and interventions
• to reduce harm and prevent risk of suicide
  • factors that increase resilience among vulnerable populations
  • understanding stigma and its impact on access to care
• Policy opportunities to support, improve, and implement early interventions and expand access to care among vulnerable populations with specific needs
• Areas where further research is needed to address gaps in evidence

The planning committee will develop the agenda for the workshop sessions, select and invite speakers and discussants, and moderate the discussions. A proceedings of the presentations and discussions at the workshop will be prepared by a designated rapporteur in accordance with institutional guidelines.