Critical Suicidology: Why Our Traditional Approaches in Suicide Prevention Have Failed and Finding Alternatives

Critical suicidology is an emerging area of scholarship and advocacy that brings together expertise from diverse perspectives to re-examine all that we have believed to be “true” about suicide prevention. Critical suicidologists question the highly medicalized framework of understanding a suicidal person and see suicide in context by understanding how other frameworks — like social justice — expand our imagination on what is possible in prevention, intervention and postvention. In this conversation with Jess Stohlmann-Rainey, we talk about the ways traditional efforts in suicide prevention have failed us including:Forced treatmentFear-based approaches of restraint and isolationTrying to predict suicide riskAnd instead explore alternative, creative and upstream approaches to suicide prevention such as transformative justice work, mutual aid peer support, and accountability in making reparations for histories of harm done to communities. About Jess Stohlmann-RaineyJess Stohlmann-Rainey headshot B&W.pngJess Stohlmann-Rainey (she/her) loves to talk about suicide. She is a mad, queer care worker serving as the Director of Program Development at Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners in so-called Denver [land stolen from the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute), Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux)]. She has focused her career on creating pathways to intersectional, justice-based, emotional support for marginalized communities. Jess centers her lived expertise as an ex-patient and suicide attempt survivor in her work. Her work can be found in Mad in America, Radical Abolitionist, No Restraints with Rudy Caseres, Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers, Postvention in Action: The International Handbook of Suicide Bereavement, Crisis, and The Suicide Prevention Resource Center. She has been featured in USA Today and People Magazine, and her story can be found on Live Through This. She collaborates on an irreverant video podcast situation called Suicide ‘n’ Stuff with Dese’Rae Stage. Jess holds the Lived Experience seat on Colorado’s Suicide Prevention Commission, and was the winner of the 2019 American Association of Suicidology Transforming Lived Experience Award, the 2019 Cookie Gant and Bill Compton LGBTQIA Leadership Award for Excellence in Promoting Diversity and Inclusion Award, and chairs the Paul G Quinnett Lived Experience Writing Competition. She lives with her partner (Jon), housemate (Isaac), and chihuahua (Chunk), and has a taxidermied two headed duckling (Phil & Lil) for an office mate.