An analysis of 911 calls found that 21% to 38% involved homelessness, behavioral health crises, substance use, quality-of-life concerns and other community conflicts - and since there is no simple solution to this nationwide problem, the answer must rely on a combination of efforts. Read more»

A service member assigned to the Texas National Guard’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star, died by a self-inflicted gunshot with his duty weapon Tuesday morning in Eagle Pass, the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since September 2021. Read more»

Thanks in part to the advocacy of Erin Smith - whose husband, D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, died by suicide days after being assaulted during the January 6 attack - Congress passed a bill recognizing suicides by officers for what they are: line-of-duty deaths. Read more»

American cities have been running gun buybacks since at least the 1970s, and they are broadly popular, even in conservative, gun-friendly states - but most research shows these events are ineffective at reducing homicides and suicides. Read more»

Pima County residents can pick up a free gun lock at more than 30 locations, under an effort by the Health Department to decrease youth gun violence. Read more»

The gun safety law forged through tense bipartisan talks in the Senate has been heralded as the first federal legislation in 30 years to combat rising gun violence, but what often falls below the radar is the new law’s focus on improving mental health services. Read more»

In the 20 years since 9/11, more military personnel and veterans have died from suicide than in combat - now, virtual reality modules train service members with the goal of ensuring that someone considering taking their own life gets the help they need. Read more»

Suspected suicide attempts by young people ages 6-19 reported to U.S. poison centers increased 27% between 2015 and 2020 - the biggest surge in suspected suicides was among children ages 10-12, more than doubling in the six-year period. Read more»

La Ley Brandon amplía los servicios de salud mental a los miembros de las fuerzas armadas, ya que las tasas de suicidio han ido en aumento entre los miembros de las fuerzas armadas y los veteranos por igual. Read more»

The Brandon Act - now part of the new National Defense Authorization Act - expands mental health services to members of the military as suicide rates have been increasing among members of the military and veterans alike. Read more»

While youth mental health was already deteriorating before the coronavirus pandemic, in the two years following the isolation, grief, and anxiety, researchers are finding that a dark wave of depression is washing over the adolescents of America. Read more»

U.S. life expectancy fell by an “unprecedented and shocking” 1.8 years between 2019 and 2020, a dramatic drop that experts say can only partly be blamed on the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more»

As state legislators in Arizona and across the country introduced a record number of anti-transgender bills in 2021, the larger debate outside of medicine amid these legislative efforts to restrict access to care is having a detrimental impact on transgender youth. Read more»

A week after a move to ban all gender-affirming care for transgender youth in Arizona was rejected, GOP lawmakers passed a measure barring gender confirmation surgery for minors with no public testimony allowed by Committee Chair Nancy Barto. Read more»

A proposal from Sen. Wendy Rogers — who has a history of introducing anti-trans legislation — would send doctors who provide gender-affirming care to children under the age of 15 to prison for at least 17 years. Read more»