A. Many/most suicides are tragically inevitable

B. Some suicides are tragically inevitable

C. Some suicides are preventable, but only in advance of acute risk

D. Every suicide is preventable, but only in advance of acute risk

E. Every suicide is preventable, even up to the last moment

In 1975 and 1978, David Rosen and Richard Seiden, respectively, tackled the issue of fatalism related to a barrier for the Golden Gate Bridge and their findings confounded our usual assumptions that many/most suicides are inevitable. In 2014, Zero Suicide task force member Dr Thomas Joiner argued publicly that all suicides were preventable, even up until the last moment.

In 2018, Dr Richard McKeon clarified this view, “This doesn’t mean a family has the power to stop it, nor that even a clinician, who has a duty to care, has the power to stop it under any circumstances. Some of it is random. We mean that no suicide is fated. None are pre-destined. Until the person actually takes a final lethal act, there is still hope.”

Zero Suicide: The Dogged Pursuit of Perfection in Health Care

, on which this quiz is based. This article was originally posted on February 8, 2019, and has since been updated.

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Psychiatric leadership is essential to the success of efforts toward mitigating suicide risk. That said, can suicide be prevented? Take the quiz and learn more.

Mini Quiz: A New Dawn in Suicide Prevention