What the Warning Signs of Suicide Actually Look Like — with Mark Kaplan

About this episode

Leslie Heaney discusses suicide prevention and warning signs with suicidologist Mark Kaplan during Mental Health Awareness Month.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — and I wanted to do something that felt real rather than performative. So I called a suicidologist. His name is Mark Kaplan, and he has spent his career studying why people die by suicide: the data, the risk factors, the gaps in how we think about prevention, and what any of us can actually do. This conversation is personal for me and I think it will be for most of you, too. We cover the numbers (they're staggering), why so many people we lose don't fit the profile we expect, what the research actually says about warning signs, and what upstream prevention means — practically, not as a policy abstraction. If you've ever been touched by this — directly or indirectly — this one's for you. If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available 24/7 — call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 00:00:03 Introduction & Context 00:01:11 What Is Suicidology 00:03:33 Origins of the Field & 988 00:05:59 Mark's Personal Entry 00:08:17 Silent Suicides 00:10:39 Upstream vs. Downstream 00:13:05 The Numbers: 50,000 a Year 00:15:27 Why the Rate Is Still Rising 00:17:46 Social Media's Role 00:19:53 80% of Suicides Are Men 00:22:16…

People in this episode

Host: Leslie Heaney

Guest: Mark Kaplan

Topics covered

• mental health
• suicide prevention
• risk factors
• upstream prevention
• personal stories

Keywords

• suicide
• mental health
• warning signs
• prevention
• risk factors
• suicidology
• crisis lifeline

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

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