February 2026

Suicide is increasingly framed as a healthcare issue, prompting debates on medicalized approaches like assisted dying or expanded mental health protocols in clinical settings. The article highlights how societal shifts are redefining self-inflicted death not as a moral failing but as a treatable condition, with calls for policy changes to integrate suicide risk into routine […]

A local nonprofit, Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut, has expanded its Veterans Rally Point suicide prevention program to Hartford County, offering behavioral health services like case management, counseling, and VA benefits navigation to support veterans facing mental health crises. This expansion comes at a critical time, as veterans experience suicide rates higher than the

Virginia’s Catholic bishops are expressing gratitude for the defeat of legislation that would have legalized physician-assisted suicide in their state. On February 5, the Virginia Senate Education and Health Committee voted 8-7 to block Bill SB 359, which would have permitted doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill patients with fewer than six months

Richard Heckler, Ph.D., describes the “suicidal trance” based on his studies of suicide attempt survivors, as detailed in his book Waking Up, Alive.  He portrays it as a distorted mindset where unaddressed pain leads to withdrawal behind a protective façade, narrowing perspective until inner voices urge death as the sole escape, blocking hope, strength, and future possibilities. 

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has launched a groundbreaking clinical trial testing a suicide prevention intervention designed specifically for autistic youth. This development addresses a critical gap in mental health care: autistic young people experience 7-48 times greater risk of suicidal ideation and attempts compared to their neurotypical peers. What makes this research particularly significant is