While September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, death by suicide is sadly an all too common occurrence. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in America and over 48,500 Americans died by suicide in 2024 according to data collected by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 2.2 million suicide attempts were estimated in that same year (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2026).
Death by suicide can occur across the lifespan, with rates highest amongst adults older than 75 in 2024 (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2026). People in under supported and marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, Indigenous individuals, people in child welfare, individuals with chronic medical conditions, individuals with mental health disorders, and/or people with substance abuse disorders commonly experience suicidal ideation and death by suicide at an increased rate as well (Hochhauser et al., 2020).
While suicide rates are impacted by several factors including family history, mental and physical health, and environmental stressors, discussion surrounding suicide commonly simplifies suicide as an act of cowardice and selfishness. Initial media reports often note short-term, individual factors impacting death by suicide, overlooking the broader contextual factors that influence suicidality at large (Spencer-Thomas, 2024).
The lack of health equity in America, particularly amongst marginalized groups, makes it harder for individuals navigating suicidal ideation to access meaningful care related to mental health and suicide. Further, experiences of limited autonomy (ex: incarcerated persons, individuals in the child welfare system) and multigenerational traumas due to historical experiences such as colonization, forced removal from land, forced assimilation, and institutionalized racism negatively impact one’s ability to flourish and find safety in community.
When discussion of suicide focuses solely on the mental health system or individual risk factors, larger environmental factors are disregarded. Although suicide may present as an individual experience, it does not occur in a vacuum. In fact, research conducted by the John Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health and the Casey Family Programs noted the interconnectivity of individual and community healing and wellbeing.
Through a community-centered viewpoint, we can examine the responsibility we have to improve environmental conditions related to suicidality to better care for one another. Such improvements include acknowledging and addressing oppression & inequity as well as uplifting the voices of commonly unheard individuals and communities (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024).
How May Music Help?
- Music engagement through instrument play and/or services such as music therapy may provide individuals with opportunities for increased autonomy, potentially positively impacting one’s self-esteem and self-worth.
- Music creation & songwriting may improve self-expression & directly provide space for the unheard to be heard (ex: lyric writing, beat making, music performance).
- Engaging with the words of others through song discussion or lyric analysis may encourage empathy and consideration of perspectives related and unrelated to one’s own lived experiences.
- Music is commonly experienced socially (ex: karaoke, dancing, choirs, concerts, etc.), so music may help to foster social connections & community building. Notably, connectedness to others is a protective factor against suicide, and in some some Indigenous communities tribal drumming and dance has been used as a culturally relevant practice to build community and reduce suicidal thoughts (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024).
- Music listening is a common leisure activity that may allow one to recognize and process their emotions through the proxy of musical artists. Similarly, music engagement may support emotional regulation and be a salve for intense emotions, aiding individuals navigating mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression.
(Kohl, n.d.)
While it can be daunting to navigate the broad societal factors impacting suicidality, music can provide tangible opportunities for reflection, expression, and community that may give way to positive change. Music alone, of course, is not the only answer, but it can help. Suicide prevention is not an individual task but that of communities in which collective care and action is centered. Through such action there is the possibility for death by suicide and suicidal ideation to be less common and for society to be one where the hope is not just to live, but to live well.
Suicide Prevention Resources
- 988 – 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- BlackLine – 1 (800) 604-5841 (provides a space for peer support, counseling, reporting of mistreatment, and affirmation of the lived experiences of BIPOC individuals)
- Friendship Line – (888) 670-1360 (provides emotional support & crisis intervention for adults 60+ and their caregivers)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1 (800) 799-7233 (provides support to survivors of domestic violence)
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline – (833) 852-6262 (provides mental health support for birthing persons & their families before, during, and after pregnancy)
- Trans Lifeline – (877) 565-8860 (provides support to trans people in crisis)
- Trevor Project – (866) 488-7386 (provides suicide & crisis prevention services for LGBTQ+ young people)
- Veterans Crisis Line – Dial 988 then Press 1 (provides suicide & crisis prevention services for veterans, service members, and their families)
(Chicago Department of Public Health, n.d.)
Citations
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (2024, August 9). Risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs. https://afsp.org/risk-factors-protective-factors-and-warning-signs/
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (2026, April 7). Suicide statistics. https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/
Chicago Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Mental health crisis resources in Chicago. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdph/supp_info/behavioral-health/cdph-suicide-prevention-initiative/mental-health-crisis-resources-in-chicago.html
Hochhauser, S., Rao, S., England-Kennedy, E., & Roy, S. (2020). Why social justice matters: A context for suicide prevention efforts. International Journal for Equity in Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-020-01173-9
Kohl, B. (n.d.). The impact of music experiences on emotions, mental health & suicide prevention. We Are All Music. https://weareallmusic.org/the-impact-of-music-experiences-on-emotions-mental-health-suicide-prevention/
Spencer-Thomas, S. (2024, February 7). Suicide prevention as a social justice issue. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). https://www.nami.org/advocate/suicide-prevention-as-a-social-justice-issue/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024). Health equity in suicide prevention. National Strategy for Suicide Prevention [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK604167/
