Content Warning: This article discusses suicide. Dr. Ashley Smith, a licensedpsychologist and advocate, shares insights into why suicidal thoughts occur, how to support loved ones, and why hope is always possible.

Suicide claims a life roughly every eleven minutes in the United States and remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Yet most people who die by suicide were never in contact with mental health services beforehand. That statistic should dispel any remaining complacency. The traditional clinical safety net—diagnose, prescribe, refer—simply cannot catch what it never detects.