Watch: Prevention Efforts Focus on 3 Groups at Higher Risk of Suicide

Suicide ranks in the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most recent data shows that nearly 49,000 people died by suicide in 2024, while many millions more reported thinking about suicide or planning an attempt.

Research reveals that certain groups of people experience elevated risks of suicide. For instance, veterans and service members, ranchers and farmers, and college athletes all face their own sets of mental health challenges and barriers to care, contributing to suicide rates higher than that of the general population. In honor of Suicide Prevention Month in September, Pew highlighted three individual stories across a series of videos, as well as some of the organizations working to help address suicide prevention and save lives.

Supporting service members

Jared Zamora lost his brother Josh, a former Marine, to suicide in 2019. Along with Stop Soldier Suicide CEO Keith Hotle, Jared talks about the particular experiences affecting veterans and how the narrative is starting to change around mental health in this group. Stop Soldier Suicide is dedicated to reducing the suicide rate among veterans—which is 50% higher than the national average—by connecting them to evidence-based care, peer support, and other resources through its ROGER Wellness Service.

Struggles in rural America

Jacob Walter’s father died by suicide in 2016. While his family was grieving, they were also immediately challenged with maintaining the family’s ranch and economic livelihood. This story is one of many showing how farming and ranching are stressful and at times unpredictable occupations—ones that experience a suicide rate about 3.5 times the suicide rate for the general population. Jacob now works with the American Farm Bureau Federation, led by president Zippy Duvall. Their Farm State of Mind campaign builds awareness and provides resources to promote mental health and suicide prevention among farmers and ranchers.

Relieving pressure among student athletes

Maya Loudd is a fourth-year varsity soccer player at the University of Washington, where she is well acquainted with the pressure to perform athletically and academically. The university is one of the first to require a suicide prevention program for all its athletes, led by Dr. Kelly Schloredt. The program teaches student athletes the skills to recognize warning signs and talk openly with teammates about suicide and mental health. This training helped ensure that Maya and her teammates had guidance and sources of support during a particularly difficult year after losing their beloved teammate Mia to cancer.