In 2021, nearly 50,000 people in the United States died by suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That year, an estimated 12.3 million American adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.5 million planned a suicide attempt, and 1.7 million attempted suicide. As this epidemic grows, the enormous value of timely therapeutic intervention cannot be overstated. In fact, the belief by many lay people unfamiliar with the issue—namely, that if someone is intent on taking their life they will ultimately succeed—is soundly rebutted by the data. Studies and statistics have repeatedly demonstrated the effectiveness of appropriate intervention and care for suicide risk; in fact, the available data demonstrates that nine out of 10 people who demonstrate suicidality but receive appropriate intervention survive the moment of crisis and proceed to live their lives without dying by suicide at a later date.

A review of 90 studies that followed people who made a suicide attempt that resulted in medical care found that 70% of that population made no further attempts. Moreover, within that study group, only approximately 7% eventually died by suicide. Approximately 23% re-attempted, but nonfatally.