Substance abuse prevention is suicide prevention: Building connections between our fields to save lives

Substance use has been identified as one of the main risk factors for suicide across populations. Nonetheless, substance abuse prevention and treatment continue to be largely separate from the suicide prevention field. We will explore the connection between substance use and suicide, using alcohol as an example to demonstrate how substance use impacts other suicide risk factors, most notably depression. Following this discussion, we will describe the benefits and barriers to collaborating at the nexus of suicide prevention and substance abuse, as identified through key informant interviews with suicide prevention practitioners, as well as findings from collaboration literature. We will then share a Collaboration Continuum, which aims to guide suicide and substance abuse prevention/treatment practitioners in building and sustaining cross-discipline collaborations. This Continuum describes the different developmental stages of collaboration, offers practical strategies for building such collaborations and provides practitioners with tools and resources for initiating or strengthening collaborations of their own. We will share case studies from tribal, state and campus suicide prevention programs that are collaborating with substance abuse prevention and treatment partners to highlight different stages along the Collaboration Continuum. This includes tribal programs implementing holistic approaches to promote wellness and healing; states that have integrated behavioral health and prevention services into a single agency; and college and university campuses that are co-branding prevention or wellness programs and participating in collaborative task forces or other strategic efforts.