Suicide

At five North Carolina prisons, trained peer observers — incarceratedpeople themselves — provide watch and to those in mental healthcrises at risk of taking their own lives.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has mobilized thousands of National Guard troops to the southern border over the past three years to deter illegal migration. The mobilization has taken a toll on some soldiers.

Former North Carolina prisoners had sustained suicide risk, even three years after release, suggesting a need for more consistent for people returning to the community.

Time spent in prison and jail often worsens mental health. Researchers and advocates say more data and transparency is needed to better understand and reduce in-custody suicides.

Prompted by a post-pandemic rise in suicide rates, UNC-Chapel Hill announced new efforts for community collaboration in suicide prevention.

The Pentagon has put in place "The Brandon Act" - named after a Navy sailor who died by suicide in 2018. It allows service to go outside their chain of command to seek confidential mental health treatment.

The project is using artificial intelligence to analyze data from smartphones, laptops and other devices of people who take their own lives.

Measures aimed at restricting kids’ access to gender-affirming care, confidentiality with school personnel raise hackles among health and mental health professionals.

Lack of access to mental health care inside North Carolina's prisons has an increasing number of advocates worried about a looming crisis.

In a 2021 survey, more than 1 in 5 North Carolina students reported they seriously considered attempting suicide in the prior year. The rates were higher for girls and gay, lesbian and bisexual students.