Suicide Prevention Resources

You are not alone. Anyone can access crisis services for mental health, substance use disorders or other emotional distress at the resources below.

Reach out for yourself or someone else needing crisis support.

1. 988 Lifeline Chat and Text - 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: This Lifeline is free, confidential, and available to everyone 24/7 by call, text, or chat. Additional resources are available for Veterans, Spanish speakers, and LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Callers who are Deaf, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, or Late-Deafened can directly dial 988 on a videophone or click the "ASL Now" button on 988lifeline.org to connect with crisis counselors who can communicate in ASL.
2. Call Blackline: 800-604-5841 – Call BlackLine® provides a space for peer support, counseling, reporting of mistreatment, witnessing and affirming the lived experiences of folks most impacted by systematic oppression with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens. Call BlackLine® prioritizes BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).
3. The Trevor Project: 866-488-7386 – 24/7 Lifeline for LGBTQ+ young people.
4. Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988, then Press 1. The Veterans Crisis Line serves Veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and those who support them.
5. COPLINE: An Officer's Lifeline: 1-800-267-5463 – COPLINE serves active and retired law enforcement officers and their loved ones.
6. 1-800-Runaway: The National Runaway Safeline offers free and confidential support for youth and families in crisis.
7. Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860 – Trans Lifeline offers direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.
8. Statewide Peer Warmline: 1-855-PEERS NC (855-733-7762) 24/7 – North Carolinians can call the Peer Warmline to speak with a Peer Support Specialist. Peer Support Specialists (or “peers”) are people living in recovery with mental illness and/or substance use disorder who provide support to others who may have similar life experiences and can benefit from their lived experiences.  

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:

“Means reduction” (reducing a suicidal person’s access to highly lethal means) is an important part of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention.

Many suicide attempts are made with little planning during a short-term crisis period. Nine out of ten people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide.  

Temporary restriction of access to deadly means, for those experiencing suicidal thoughts, can save a life. If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, speak with a mental health professional, and ask someone you trust to lock away firearms and medications.  

To prevent suicide, we can all promote safe storage and lethal means reduction in our homes and communities. 

1. NC Secure All Firearms Effectively (NC SAFE)
   Help us raise awareness about the urgent need to secure firearms in North Carolina effectively.  Firearms are the most common method of suicide for youth and adults. Additionally, firearms are the leading cause of injury-related death for children and youth in the state, and firearm thefts are on the rise. If you own a firearm, make sure it’s safely secured, including in your car. Safe storage is an essential part of responsible firearm ownership and firearm safety starts with you.
    
2. Project ChildSafe
   Project ChildSafe is a comprehensive firearm safety and education program—created by gun owners, for gun owners. Project ChildSafe offers a range of free and downloadable firearm safety educational materials such as toolkits, videos, and infographics. To locate free firearm safety kits, which include a cable-styled gun lock, visit Project ChildSafe - Get a Safety Kit.
    

3. Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) Training
   The CALM training course is designed to teach participants how to help those at risk for suicide implement safe storage of firearms and dangerous medications while respecting their rights and autonomy. Two versions of CALM are available: 

   CALM Training, a half-day course, is available for mental health clinicians, primary care providers, substance use counselors, hotline responders, crisis intervention services and others who regularly work with people at risk for suicide.

   CALM Conversations is a 90-minute training intended for anyone–not just clinicians–who may need to have a conversation with a friend, loved one, or coworker about their access to lethal means.

   Both courses are offered for free through NC DHHS. To apply for this training or get more information, please contact Jane Ann Miller, jane@miller@dhhs.nc.gov 

4. Firearm Safety Teams (FST)
   If you or your organization wants to take action to reduce firearm injury and violence in your community, explore creating a Firearm Safety Team or connecting with an existing team. 
   
   A Firearm Safety Team (FST) is an apolitical and nonpartisan group of community members, community-based organizations, and other local agencies who meet regularly to reduce firearm injury and violence. FSTs can address health issues like community violence, suicide, and unintentional injury. Partners on this team may include public health workers, parents, non-profits, law enforcement, hospitals, firearm owners, Local Health Departments, and many more. Typical FST activities can include but are not limited to providing free gun locks, presenting to groups on firearm safety, and providing Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) Training.

   NC counties with an FST include Durham, Cabarrus, Catawba, Hoke, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Pitt, Wake, Cumberland, Orange, and Martin Tyrrell Washington Health District.

   To apply for this training or get more information about Firearm Safety Teams near you, please contact Megan Lueck, mlueck@email.unc.edu 

Recommendations for reporting on suicide

Framework for successful messaging

1. North Carolina Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2021-2025 
2. CDC Suicide Prevention Resource for Action 
3. 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: HHS.gov