Holly C. Wilcox, PhD
Director
Population-level preventionEarly interventionPolicy translation
English
For Media
For journalists, editors, and storytellers.
The Center provides reporters and producers with vetted experts, ready-to-use facts, and resources.
Reporting on Suicide: guidelines for media, in one place.
How journalists cover suicide can save lives. The Reporting on Suicide guidelines from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, developed by leading researchers and advocacy organizations, give clear direction on language, framing, and what to avoid. The Center fully endorses these standards.
Download the Guidelines (PDF)Our Experts
The Center’s subject-matter experts are available for media interviews, panels, briefings, and expert testimony. Topics span clinical care, prevention, policy, AI in mental health, youth and family interventions, indigenous health, firearms and means safety, and more.
Laura McCallister Prichett, MHS, PhD
Pediatric suicide preventionInformaticsYouth suicide disparities
English
Free Online Course: Responsible Reporting on Suicide for Journalists
The Center supports Responsible Reporting on Suicide for Journalists, a free self-paced Coursera course taught by Johns Hopkins faculty, covering the language, framing, and ethics of covering suicide responsibly. Strongly recommended for any reporter, editor, or producer working in this space.
Enroll on CourseraFast Facts — what reporters need to know.
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States.
In 2024, the U.S. recorded more than double the number of suicide deaths it recorded in 1967, the year Johns Hopkins launched the first formal Fellowship Program in Suicidology.
Suicide is preventable; effective public-health approaches exist and continue to advance.
Call 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — free, confidential, 24/7.
The Center in the News
The Baltimore Sun
Gun Suicide Prevention Is the Goal, but Anne Arundel Still Pushing for Results (opens in a new tab)
Featuring Paul S. Nestadt
The New York Times
U.S. Suicide Rate Drops, but Remains 'Stubbornly High' (opens in a new tab)
Featuring Holly C. Wilcox
The Washington Post / KFF Health News
Suicides Are Hard to Predict. But This Is a Way to Prevent Some of Them. (opens in a new tab)
Featuring Paul S. Nestadt
CBS News Atlanta · Video
Research Shows Common Factor Among Suicide Deaths (opens in a new tab)
Featuring Paul S. Nestadt and Holly C. Wilcox
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health · Video
Media Briefing: Suicide Trends and Effective Prevention Strategies (opens in a new tab)
Featuring Holly C. Wilcox and Paul S. Nestadt
Johns Hopkins Medicine
John Campo Changed Lives and Psychiatry (opens in a new tab)
Featuring John V. Campo
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Suicide Under the Microscope (opens in a new tab)
Featuring Paul S. Nestadt, Holly C. Wilcox and Alan L. Berman
Youth online safety
Safe Online Standards (S.O.S.)
Safe Online Standards is a multi-year initiative to protect youth mental health where young people connect online. It gives technology platforms credible, data-driven standards and ratings for keeping young users safe, developed with researchers, clinicians, and youth-serving organizations through a structured expert-consensus process.
The standards were founded and developed by Center faculty member Dr. Dan Reidenberg at the Mental Health Coalition, with the Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention as a partner. For reporters covering social media and youth mental health, they offer a clear, evidence-based reference point.
Visit Safe Online Standards (opens in a new tab) Dr. Dan Reidenberg, PsyD Founder, Safe Online Standards · View profile → Press Contact
For interview requests, briefings, or background, send us a note and choose “Media inquiry.” We'll connect you with the right expert.
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