RESTRICTING ACCESS TO LETHAL MEANS
Restricting access to the lethal means individuals use to attempt suicide continues to be one of the most successful strategies in preventing suicide.
Steps You Can Take
What is a lethal means?
A lethal means refers to a method in which one uses to attempt suicide. The term “lethal” is important because some methods are more harmful or destructive than others. For example, if someone chooses to use a gun to end their life, the act is quick and almost always irreversible. Conversely, other methods like overdoses of pills or inhalation of harmful chemicals allow for more time to reconsider or to be saved during an attempt.
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Medications
Some steps at the policy level have been taken to reduce the risk of medication overdose. Individual pill packets being one of them. However, there are a few steps everyone can take to reduce the risk of an overdose from happening. Those include:
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Never keep lethal doses of any medication on hand. Work with your doctor and pharmacist to make sure you have a safe dosage in your home.
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Consider keeping medications locked in a safe place.
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Properly dispose of medications you no longer need.
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Firearms
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Keep firearms locked in a safe and ammunition stored in a separate location.
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Ask a friend or family member to store a firearm for you while you work on becoming healthy again.
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Check out a local shooting club or local police precinct to see if they have temporary storage options.
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Research
“Approximately 90% of attempters who survive a nonfatal attempt will not go on to die by suicide thereafter.”
Research has shown time and again that restricting access to lethal means or “means restriction” can saves lives. By restricting access to firearms and other highly lethal methods the decline in suicide rates by that method and overall suicide rates begin to decline.
Restricting access to lethal means does not always lead to fewer deaths, but is one suicide prevention measure that merits further research and more individual-level intervention training to make lethal means less readily available.
