The agenda development process of the United States’ National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Research Prioritization Task Force

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project estimates that over 782,000 individuals worldwide lost their lives to suicide in 2008 (WorldHealth Organization [WHO], 2012), with the risk of dying by suicide being  1.5 times higher than the risk of dying by homicide, and 4.3 times higher than that of dying during a military conflict1 (WHO, 2012). Recent GBD projections consistently place suicide among the 15 to 20 most burdensome global health conditions (WHO, 2008), and by the year 2020 the combined burden of mental illness and suicide are projected to rank as the second most disabling health threat in established market  economies (WHO, 2008). While there is significant rate variability, suicidal acts have been recorded within nearly every culture, socioeconomic class, and demographic group on the planet.