Trigger warning: This blog post discusses risk factors and statistics linked to suicide. No specific instances of suicide are mentioned.
If you need immediate help, you can call or text 988 to speak to a counselor at the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also call REACH’s 24/7 hotline at 800-899-4000.
September is recognized as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness around the urgent mental health issues that can contribute to increased suicide risk.
Here at REACH, we recognize that while domestic violence doesn’t always cause suicide, the abuse and trauma a survivor experiences can often contribute to increased feelings of depression, isolation, and hopelessness, three of the biggest risk factors for suicide.
To be clear, risk factors are not predictions, and most people experiencing these circumstances do not attempt suicide. However, as we’ll highlight in this blog post, the preventative work that REACH and similar organizations do to promote healthy relationships and break harmful cycles does more than just help domestic violence survivors in the moment. It also helps reduce the stigma around seeking help, ensuring that survivors always have access to the communities and life-saving resources they need.
The Data Behind Domestic Violence and Suicide
A Youth Risk Behavior survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2023 and published in 2024 found that 20.4% of U.S. high-school students seriously considered suicide, and 9.5% attempted suicide. Among students who identified as LGBTQ+, the numbers jumped to 41% who seriously considered suicide and 19.7% who attempted suicide.
For Latine/Hispanic students, 42.4% reported persistent feelings of sadness and/or hopelessness, with 10.8% saying they attempted suicide. While domestic violence wasn’t a prominent factor of consideration, the survey did find that exposure to violence in their home or community can have an acute negative effect on a young person’s mental health.
Research such as this 2013 case study published by PubMed Central also establishes a clear association between domestic violence (also referred to as intimate partner violence) and depressive factors that lead to suicide attempts among women. Meanwhile, a 2024 U.S. national survey from The Trevor Project found that 39% of LGBTQ+ youth who were surveyed had seriously considered suicide, and that factors such as bullying, violence, and an inability to access mental health resources contributed to their negative thoughts.
Again, this isn’t to say that domestic violence survivors are universally more likely to attempt suicide, only that domestic violence should factor into conversations around suicide prevention awareness, especially when young people are involved.
Domestic Violence Prevention is Part of Suicide Prevention
The breadth of work being done by organizations like REACH addresses more than survivors’ immediate needs. By strengthening safety, connection, housing stability, economic security, and access to care, this work can contribute to safer and more connected communities while helping reduce factors associated with suicide risk.
Here are just some of the ways REACH makes a positive impact on the communities we serve:
- Safety Planning – Safety plans help survivors identify options, resources, and next steps based on their individual circumstances and priorities
- Healthy Relationship Education – Because abuse and coercive control can become normalized over time, we help adults and young people recognize healthy, respectful relationship behaviors and warning signs of abuse.
- Social Connections – The sense of community and support that survivors find through our advocacy groups, our creative support groups for children, youth, and adult survivors, and through initiatives such as our Survivor Speakers’ Bureau can have a dramatically positive effect on their mental well-being.
- Access to Mental Health Services – Our advocates coordinate with local hospitals and healthcare organizations such as Newton-Wellesley Hospital to provide therapy to survivors and share resources relating to domestic and sexual violence. REACH also runs a small clinical program that partners with local universities to offer clinical internships which help us expand our capacity to provide support to children and youth.
- Housing Assistance – Our residential and community advocates help survivors apply for and secure housing in situations where leaving their abuser might mean they also risk becoming homeless.
- Economic Support – Food insecurity is an issue affecting many survivors and their families, and REACH advocates help to connect them with local resources that can provide food and other basic needs. Our advocates also help survivors regain their sense of financial independence and stability by providing free financial literacy classes, helping survivors apply for SNAP benefits, and even assisting survivors with opening their own personal bank accounts.
- Survivor-Centered Care – Whether by accompanying a survivor to court, encouraging them to volunteer, or inviting them to participate in empowering workshops and classes, our advocates recognize each survivor’s evolving needs and the best ways to support them long-term.
Perhaps most importantly, our work emphasizes that abuse is never the survivor’s fault. Fear is a common and understandable response to abuse, and every survivor deserves support without shame or judgment, whenever and however they choose to seek it. By reducing the stigma around talking about domestic violence and calling it out, our hope is that we can also help reduce the stigma around talking about the correlations between mental health and suicide.
Resources and Additional Reading
Much like domestic violence prevention awareness, suicide prevention awareness is an ongoing conversation that should extend well beyond a single month of the year. Below you will find resources and additional reading links that can help you start conversations and support those in your life who may be struggling.
Resources
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988 to speak with a counselor. For Spanish speakers, call 988 and press 2, or text AYUDA to 988.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline – Call 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
- The Trevor Project – If you’re an LGBTQ+ young person who’s struggling, call 866-488-7386 or text START to 678678
- Love is Respect – If you’re a young person who’s experiencing dating abuse (also known as teen dating violence), you can call 866-331-9474 or text LOVEIS to 22522.
- REACH 24/7 Emergency Hotline – Call 800-899-4000 if you need immediate assistance with an issue pertaining to domestic violence. Our advocates are trained to assist with safety planning and emergency relocating, and they can also connect you to local resources based on your most pressing needs.
Additional Reading
