New Report from the Kaiser Permanente Center Examines Opportunities for Firearm Suicide Prevention in Healthcare
June 23, 2025
Recently, the Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education’s Scientists in Residence, Dr. Julie Angerhofer and Dr. Jennifer Boggs, published a new study in Morbidity and Mortality Report, on opportunities for firearm suicide prevention in health care systems.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 44 in the U.S., with firearms as the most common method used.
In the report, Dr. Angerhofer and Dr. Boggs analyzed and compared the patterns of health care use between people who died by firearm suicide and suicide of other means in Alaska, Colorado, and Washington. Their goals were to identify care improvement opportunities in the three participating health care systems and to inform practice improvement more generally in health care systems nationwide.
What they found was the majority of people who died by firearm suicide did not receive mental health care (in the year prior to death) in specialty or primary care settings, compared to those who died by other means. Out of 683 suicide-related deaths in between 2020 – 2022, only 18.2% of the people who died by firearm suicide received mental health specialty services, compared to 33.9% of those who died by other means of suicide.
Other findings included data showing the people who died of firearm suicide had fewer documented mental health diagnoses, prior suicide attempts, or substance use disorders. This crystallized the idea that people at risk, especially for firearm suicide, are not reached through traditional mental health care pathways.
Firearm suicide prevention should not only rely on mental health care. Instead, we need to embed effective suicide prevention practices across all points of care, and especially in primary care and emergency departments. Universal screening, suicide risk assessment, and safety planning in these settings can identify risk earlier and connect patients to support, even if they never walk into a mental health clinic.
Firearm suicide is preventable. But to get there, health systems must expand how and where they engage patients at risk.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available. Call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Dr. Julie Angerhofer (L) and Dr. Jennifer Boggs (R)
Scientists in Residence, Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education
