This is the title of the afternoon keynote address that will be delivered by Dr. Mike Anestis on September 25th as part of the 9th Annual Suicide Prevention Summit hosted by the Los Angeles County Suicide Prevention Network. To register click here.
The keynote address will provide the audience with a thorough background on the relationship between firearms and suicide. The discussion will be data-driven and will establish the magnitude of the relationship between firearms and suicide, will propose a theory-driven rationale for that relationship, and will propose solutions. Information will be drawn from both military and civilian samples and will cover a range of solutions.
Dr. Mike Anestis is an Associate Professor of Psychology and the director of the Suicide and Dysregulation laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi. He received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his PhD from Florida State University. His research focuses on risk factors for suicide, with a particular emphasis on the role of firearms. Dr. Anestis is the author of over 130 peer reviewed scientific publications as well as the recent book Guns and Suicide: An American Epidemic. Dr. Anestis received the 2018 Edwin Shneidman Award for early career achievement in suicide research from the American Association of Suicidology and is currently the principle investigator on a randomized clinical trial focused on increasing safe storage behavior among firearm owning members of the Mississippi National Guard.
More resources on Means Restriction:
- Anara Guards presentation on Means Restriction presented at the 2018 Suicide Prevention Summit.
- Presentation about Preventing Firearm Suicide delivered by Dakota Jablon from the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence at the June LASPN Quarterly meeting.
- Website dedicated to firearm suicide prevention from the Education Fund to Stop Gun Violence. Website: https://efsgv.org/
- California’s Gun Violence Restraining Order. Website: https://speakforsafety.org/
- Ask your local pharmacy to include crisis resources on pharmacy bags
- Invite your local pharmacy staff to participate in a suicide prevention gatekeeper training
- Safely dispose of unused or unneeded medications
- Safety store all firearms (gun locks/safes)
- Secure firearms outside of homes for people in distress
- Support local efforts to implement bridge barriers