May is Mental Health Awareness Month — and I wanted to do something that felt real rather than performative. So I called a suicidologist. His name is Mark Kaplan, and he has spent his career studying why people die by suicide: the data, the risk factors, the gaps in how we think about prevention, and what any of us can actually do. This conversation is personal for me and I think it will be for most of you, too. We cover the numbers (they're staggering), why so many people we lose don't fit the profile we expect, what the research actually says about warning signs, and what upstream prevention means — practically, not as a policy abstraction. If you've ever been touched by this — directly or indirectly — this one's for you.

If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available 24/7 — call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

00:00:03 Introduction & Context

00:01:11 What Is Suicidology

00:03:33 Origins of the Field & 988

00:05:59 Mark's Personal Entry

00:08:17 Silent Suicides

00:10:39 Upstream vs. Downstream

00:13:05 The Numbers: 50,000 a Year

00:15:27 Why the Rate Is Still Rising

00:17:46 Social Media's Role

00:19:53 80% of Suicides Are Men

00:22:16 Older Adults & Not Being a Burden

00:24:42 Veterans & Suicide

00:26:58 Global Comparisons

00:29:07 Risk Factors Deep Dive

00:31:30 Precipitating Events & Leslie's Story

00:33:56 Behavioral Warning Signs

00:36:16 Red Flag Laws & Firearms Policy

00:38:42 The Window Problem

00:41:03 What Mark Would Change

00:43:28 Harm Reduction & Mental Health

00:45:49 Universal Prevention

00:48:08 Primary Care as First Line

00:50:57 What You Can Actually Do

00:53:18 Loneliness, Social Media & Closing

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