Understanding and preventing suicide through research, education, and advocacy
As is true for all leading causes of death, treatments and interventions that aim to reduce and prevent suicide are solidly rooted in scientific research.
Scientific research has been a unique and essential part of our overall mission since the organization was formed in 1987.
Since 2002, AFSP has made grants of more than $20 million to prominent scientists and promising young investigators to support studies aimed at understanding and preventing suicide. Studies shed light on why people attempt and die by suicide; test new approaches to treatment, intervention and prevention; and illuminate the impact of suicide on family members, communities, and society.
Suicide is complex, and reflects a mix of genetic, biological, psychological, cultural, and environmental factors. The researchers we fund come from disciplines and institutions that span the U.S. and, increasingly, the world. AFSP is proud of the role we play in increasing the worldwide knowledge base about suicide, and in developing a growing network of researchers dedicated to reducing the loss of life from suicide.
AFSP is a respected leader in setting the national research agenda. We make significant contributions as a member of the Research Priorities Task Force of the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention, and by consulting with organizations such as the National Institutes of Health to support implementation of these priorities.
AFSP is the leading nonprofit supporter of suicide research in the U.S. AFSP funds innovative research at the early stages of inquiry with the goal that promising results can be parlayed into more comprehensive and definitive studies.
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AFSP helps researchers who explore new directions in suicide research. Our researchers range from newly-graduated postdoctoral fellows to investigators who have become distinguished in their fields.
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AFSP Suicide Research Grants support studies aimed at increasing our understanding of the causes of suicide and factors related to suicide risk, or that test treatments and other interventions designed to prevent suicide.
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