{"id":9275,"date":"2026-05-12T09:49:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=9275"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:49:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:49:20","slug":"low-wages-empty-plates-heavy-toll-rethinking-suicide-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=9275","title":{"rendered":"Low Wages, Empty Plates, Heavy Toll: Rethinking Suicide Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-blue-000-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-source-sans-3-font-family\" style=\"margin-top:0\"><em><em>If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting \u201c988.\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p>As a teenager, Rei Scott spent several weeks living out of a car with four family members and their dog. Each day, Scott worried about where they would spend the following night.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-sidebar alignright \">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dark\"\/>\n<article class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-post-card--top wp-block-kff-shared-post-card--aligned  wp-block-kff-shared-post-card---variation-lede-news wp-block-kff-shared-post-card\" id=\"post-2230139\" data-image-size=\"3:2\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-post-card__thumbnail-wrapper\">\n<picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Suicide-prevention-08.jpg?w=300&amp;h=200&amp;crop=1 1x, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Suicide-prevention-08.jpg?w=600&amp;h=400&amp;crop=1 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 500px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Suicide-prevention-08.jpg?w=834&amp;h=556&amp;crop=1 1x, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/Suicide-prevention-08.jpg?w=1668&amp;h=1112&amp;crop=1 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 500px)\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" alt=\"A man wearing a red shirt, a baseball cap and sunglasses rests his hand on the open window of a truck\"\/>\t\t\t<\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-post-card__main\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-post-card__description\">\n<p>Someone in America dies by suicide every 11 minutes. It\u2019s a tragic and entrenched problem. A new approach to prevention shifts the focus from stopping harm in moments of crisis to upstream policies that give people reasons to live.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/aside>\n<p>One day at school, Scott snuck away to the bathroom and called the national suicide hotline.<\/p>\n<p>Scott, who is transgender and nonbinary, explained to the hotline counselor that the family had struggled with poverty for years. They had lived in crumbling homes with water leaks, or a family member\u2019s basement with no privacy. Sometimes the family worried about having enough food. The stress and anxiety were constant, and Scott had been suicidal many times.<\/p>\n<p>The counselor seemed shocked into silence, Scott said. Eventually, the person provided reassurance and kindness.<\/p>\n<p>But what Scott really needed that day a decade ago and many times since was a fix for the economic difficulties that had become an unbearable weight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt can definitely help to have someone who can listen, but when you\u2019re struggling to eat and you don\u2019t have a roof to be under, I honestly don\u2019t think words can go as far as you need them to,\u201d said Scott, who now studies social work at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, Scott has been directed to hospitals and therapists. But those generally don\u2019t address core problems, such as a broken-down car or an eviction notice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s so many times in my life where I\u2019ve thought if I had $5,000, I wouldn\u2019t even be suicidal right now,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n<p>People don\u2019t typically think of suicide as an issue of economics, but it often is.<\/p>\n<p>Decades of research shows that unemployment, low income, high debt, unstable housing, and food insecurity make people more likely to kill themselves. Conversely, things that bring down people\u2019s cost of living \u2014 such as increasing the minimum wage, providing food assistance, offering tax credits, and expanding health insurance coverage \u2014 are linked to lower suicide rates.<\/p>\n<p>It makes sense. If someone can cover their basic needs, their life will feel better.<\/p>\n<p>Other countries have been incorporating this understanding into their efforts for some time. But because suicide prevention in the U.S. has historically been seen as a medical issue \u2014 the responsibility of clinicians who can provide medication or therapy \u2014 economic solutions are frequently left out of the equation.<\/p>\n<p>Some advocates and people with suicidal experiences, like Scott, are trying to change that. They say traditional approaches to suicide prevention haven\u2019t succeeded. For decades, the U.S. has had one of the highest suicide rates among high-income countries.<\/p>\n<div id=\"datawrapper-embed-4PETi\" class=\"datawrapper-embed block--datawrapper-embed\">\n<p>\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"datawrapper-embed__print-img\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/4PETi\/full.png\" alt=\"U.S. Suicide Rate One of the Highest Among High-Income Countries (Bar Chart)\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>To move the needle, \u201cwe all need to be challenged to broaden our aperture, to broaden the lens of what is mental health,\u201d said Benjamin Miller, a national expert in mental health policy and an adjunct professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine.<\/p>\n<p>The highest-impact interventions may not be adding crisis lines or screening more people in emergency rooms, Miller said, though those can be helpful. If he had to pick one strategy, it would be alleviating poverty.<\/p>\n<p>That \u201callows us to reconcile and solve for these conditions that put people in places of despair,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what stronger intervention one could possibly have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To be sure, suicides also occur among wealthy people. It\u2019s a complex issue and almost never boils down to one reason. For most people, the decision to hurt themselves results from an intricate interplay of biological factors, relationship concerns, finances, trauma or abuse, and access to lethal means. That means suicide prevention requires a variety of approaches.<\/p>\n<p>The argument for including economic policy as one of those approaches, many advocates and researchers say, is that policies affect entire populations. So even a small effect can save a significant number of lives.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" height=\"847\" width=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?w=1270\" alt=\"A portrait of a young person wearing a rainbow T-shirt, rainbow earrings, and heart-shaped glasses. Green foliage frames the photograph.\" class=\"wp-image-2235422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg 3840w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=500,333 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=1270,847 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=120,80 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=834,556 834w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_03.jpg?resize=1668,1112 1668w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1270px) 100vw, 1270px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Scott, who is transgender and nonbinary, has had suicidal thoughts since childhood. Scott says that\u2019s in part due to a lack of a safe or consistent place to live. (Maddie McGarvey for KFF Health News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter  wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter--background-white\" data-type=\"kff-shared\/newsletter\" data-align=\"center\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__content\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/kff-shared\/dist\/\/images\/newsletter-icon.png\" alt=\"Newsletter Icon\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__img\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__text\">\n<h4 class=\"newsletter__title\">\n\t\t\t\t\tEmail Sign-Up\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n<p class=\"newsletter__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to KFF Health News&#8217; free Morning Briefing.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"has-heading-5-font-size\"><strong>\u2018Economic Uncertainty\u2019 Builds<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>However, the push for an economic lens on suicide prevention is encountering gale-force headwinds from Trump administration policies.<\/p>\n<p>Unpredictable tariff actions and the war with Iran have contributed to economic pressures. Meanwhile, the administration has increased hurdles for safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often called food stamps, and Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for low-income people. Experts estimate millions of people will lose these benefits over the coming years.<\/p>\n<p>The administration has also objected to certain housing programs, saying people who are homeless should have to enter treatment or get jobs to receive support. The president\u2019s 2027 budget request, which signals his priorities, calls for cutting a program that helps low-income people pay for heat and air conditioning.<\/p>\n<p>Research suggests these types of conditions increase people\u2019s risk for suicide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnytime there is economic uncertainty, people will fear for their future and livelihood,\u201d Miller said, and \u201cthis last few months have been terrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Notably, the administration\u2019s actions directly contradict strategies that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s website promotes as having \u201cthe best available evidence to reduce suicide.\u201d No. 1 on the page is \u201cStrengthen economic supports.\u201d It lists SNAP benefits and housing-first policies as examples.<\/p>\n<p>Allison Arwady, director of the CDC\u2019s injury center, said the agency doesn\u2019t work on economic policy directly but encourages state and local governments to look at the relationship between health and economics.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Health and Human Services supports suicide prevention through the 988 national crisis hotline, investments in treatment, and the Rural Health Transformation Program, which states can use to expand mental health care in rural areas, HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said.<\/p>\n<p>Alec Varsamis, a spokesperson for the Agriculture Department, said the agency is providing states guidance on SNAP changes and \u201cremains deeply committed to supporting the health and mental well\u2011being of all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s too soon to tell how recent actions may affect suicide rates. And given the unique combination of factors at play in each death, it\u2019s challenging to draw direct causal links.<\/p>\n<p>The most recent data available shows nearly 49,000 people died by suicide in 2024 \u2014 a slight dip from previous years but still among the highest tolls since the late 1990s.<\/p>\n<p>The concept of suicide prevention writ large has historically drawn bipartisan support, said Jonathan Purtle, a New York University researcher who published a paper last year highlighting public policies shown to reduce suicide.<\/p>\n<p>The details are where things get murky. For example, strong evidence suggests that increasing the minimum wage reduces suicides. (The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, with higher rates in certain states.) But such increases are often a hard sell for lawmakers facing the realities of balancing a budget and small-business owners struggling to stay afloat.<\/p>\n<p>Closely tying suicide prevention initiatives to such politically charged and complicated issues could undermine their chances, Purtle said, adding, \u201cWe\u2019ll see suicide get polarized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why the focus often stays on areas of agreement, such as funding crisis hotlines.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" height=\"847\" width=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?w=1270\" alt=\"A woman with straight brown hair and wearing a light blue blazer stands at a podium as she speaks to a small audience.\" class=\"wp-image-2235424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg 3840w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=500,333 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=1270,847 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=120,80 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=834,556 834w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Maitland.jpg?resize=1668,1112 1668w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1270px) 100vw, 1270px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kacy Maitland is the chief clinical officer at Samaritans, a Boston-based nonprofit that has operated a suicide crisis hotline for more than 50 years and fields upward of 10,000 calls a month. (Janna Mach)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-heading-5-font-size\"><strong>View From a Crisis Line<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kacy Maitland is the chief clinical officer at Samaritans, a Boston-based nonprofit that has operated a suicide crisis hotline for more than 50 years and fields upward of 10,000 calls a month, including local calls to 988.<\/p>\n<p>Although people might assume every call is an imminent crisis, Maitland said, many callers are struggling with everyday needs \u2014 financial problems, housing concerns, or unemployment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever is going on in the world, we absolutely hear about that in real time,\u201d Maitland said.<\/p>\n<p>In November, when SNAP benefits were delayed during a government shutdown, people affected called Samaritans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat in and of itself was a hit to suicide prevention,\u201d Maitland said. \u201cIf people don\u2019t have access to eat, to feed their children, to be alive, quite frankly, how are they able to move further through anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samaritans volunteers are trained to listen with compassion and make callers feel less alone in what they\u2019re going through. That validation and caring are powerful, Maitland said.<\/p>\n<p>But she often wants to do more, to \u201cdig in and fix\u201d the root issue.<\/p>\n<p>Research supports her instincts. One study found that increasing the number of people who receive SNAP benefits by 5% could have prevented nearly 32,000 suicides over 15 years. And a $1 increase in minimum wage has been linked to roughly 8,000 fewer suicide deaths over a decade.<\/p>\n<p>Although Maitland can\u2019t change federal welfare policies, she and her co-workers are applying this approach locally. They recently started an initiative to provide blankets, socks, and water to people living on the streets of Boston.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuicide prevention doesn\u2019t always look like a crisis helpline,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we imagine it as.\u201d But \u201chaving your basic needs is also a form of suicide prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"847\" width=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?w=1270\" alt=\"A young person wearing a rainbow T-short, shorts, and heart-shaped glasses stands amongst trees and tall green grasses.\" class=\"wp-image-2235426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg 3840w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=500,333 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=1270,847 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=120,80 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=834,556 834w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/05\/Scott_09.jpg?resize=1668,1112 1668w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1270px) 100vw, 1270px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Scott now studies social work at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and wants to help others with mental health challenges. (Maddie McGarvey for KFF Health News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-heading-5-font-size\"><strong>Continuing To Live<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the years since calling the suicide hotline in high school, Scott has turned to a number of resources to help overcome recurring thoughts of suicide. Crisis lines, hospitalization, medication, and therapy have all played a role.<\/p>\n<p>But, Scott said, the biggest impact came from programs that helped fulfill daily needs \u2014 for example, a housing program for LGBTQ+ youths and another for former foster care children attending college.<\/p>\n<p>Scott, who now lives close to campus because of the foster care program, said the ability not to \u201cworry about \u2018Where am I going to sleep tomorrow night?\u2019\u201d has provided a significant mental health boost.<\/p>\n<p>Although some programs like those are under threat from the Trump administration, Scott is hopeful they will persist and rebuild.<\/p>\n<p>Surviving difficult times has given Scott confidence to persist through more potential challenges ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Despite \u201cthe policies and legislation that harm us, we continue to live, and I think that\u2019s really important,\u201d Scott said. \u201cIt gives me a lot of hope that things can be different.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n#Wages #Empty #Plates #Heavy #Toll #Rethinking #Suicide #Prevention<br \/>\nLow Wages, Empty Plates, Heavy Toll: Rethinking Suicide Prevention<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting \u201c988.\u201d As a teenager, Rei Scott spent several weeks living out of a car with four family members and their dog. Each day, Scott worried about where they would spend the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3673,770,2124],"class_list":{"0":"post-9275","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthy","8":"tag-cost-of-living","9":"tag-investigation","10":"tag-trump-administration"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}