Preventing perinatal suicide: an unmet public health need

Deaths from suicide are a leading cause of death for individuals in the first year after childbirth, with up to 20% of global post-partum deaths occurring because of suicide.1 Suicidal ideation in the perinatal period is high, estimated at 8% internationally.2 In the USA, rates of suicidal ideation during pregnancy increased by 100% between 2008 and 2018, with wide racial disparities; among Black individuals, prenatal suicidal ideation increased by 700%.3