New older adult suicide program joins increases in funding for 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, CDC Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program, and other initiatives.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the nation’s largest suicide prevention organization, today applauds President Biden and his recently released 2025 budget proposal giving significant funding and attention to critical suicide prevention and mental health activities in the upcoming fiscal year beginning October 1.
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President Biden’s budget proposal includes funding allocations for a wide variety of initiatives and services of importance to AFSP, including:
- $602 million for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, an increase of $100 million over enacted levels in FY 2023.
- $68 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program (CSP), an increase of $38 million over FY 23.
- $40 million for mobile crisis response, an increase of $20 million over FY 23 levels.
- $1.043 billion for the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant program, an increase of $35 million over FY 23.
- $450 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, an increase of $65 million over FY 23.
- $2.503 billion for the National Institute of Mental Health, an increase of $161 million over FY 23.
- $583 million for Veteran suicide prevention outreach initiatives, an increase of $66 million over FY 23.
Furthermore, the budget provides a welcomed $2.75 million in seed funding to launch a new joint initiative between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Administration for Community Living designed to prevent suicide among older Americans by increasing screening and referrals to evidence-based services and interventions. Although older adults make up 16.8% of the U.S. population, they represent more than a fifth (22%) of all suicides, and men aged 85 and older have the highest annual suicide rate of any group. Tragically, deaths by suicide among older adults have risen 8% in 2022.
The mental health crisis has seen a tragic increase in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. The provisional age-adjusted suicide rate in 2022 was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people – a 40-year high. At a time when suicide rates are on the rise, it is not only important but vitally necessary to invest in mental health services. Increases in suicide rates, feelings of loneliness and hopelessness, and depression are prevalent in many populations, including in Veterans, youth and young adults, LBGTQ individuals and BIPOC communities.
