May is Mental Health Awareness Month — and I wanted to do something that felt real rather than performative. So I called a suicidologist. His name is Mark Kaplan, and he has spent his career studying why people die by suicide: the data, the risk factors, the gaps in how we think about prevention, and what any of us can actually do. This conversation is personal for me and I think it will be for most of you, too. We cover the numbers (they're staggering), why so many people we lose don't fit the profile we expect, what the research actually says about warning signs, and what upstream prevention means — practically, not as a policy abstraction. If you've ever been touched by this — directly or indirectly — this one's for you.
If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available 24/7 — call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
00:00:03 Introduction & Context
00:01:11 What Is Suicidology
00:03:33 Origins of the Field & 988
00:05:59 Mark's Personal Entry
00:08:17 Silent Suicides
00:10:39 Upstream vs. Downstream
00:13:05 The Numbers: 50,000 a Year
00:15:27 Why the Rate Is Still Rising
00:17:46 Social Media's Role
00:19:53 80% of Suicides Are Men
00:22:16 Older Adults & Not Being a Burden
00:24:42 Veterans & Suicide
00:26:58 Global Comparisons
00:29:07 Risk Factors Deep Dive
00:31:30 Precipitating Events & Leslie's Story
00:33:56 Behavioral Warning Signs
00:36:16 Red Flag Laws & Firearms Policy
00:38:42 The Window Problem
00:41:03 What Mark Would Change
00:43:28 Harm Reduction & Mental Health
00:45:49 Universal Prevention
00:48:08 Primary Care as First Line
00:50:57 What You Can Actually Do
00:53:18 Loneliness, Social Media & Closing
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