According to recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide rates in the United States have risen nearly 30 percent since 1999. To help address this growing epidemic, the AMA adopted policy aimed at increasing awareness about the risks for suicide among the public, medical students, physicians and all health care professionals by using an evidence-based, multi-disciplinary approach. The new policy also calls for providing training for physicians to help them assess suicide risk and conduct lethal means safety counseling. Suicides by firearm are particularly prevalent and make up nearly 60 percent of all firearm deaths in the U.S. each year, according to CDC data. Additionally, suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. and firearms are among the most lethal suicide attempt methods, with nearly 9 out of 10 attempts resulting in death. The policy encourages physicians to discuss firearm and lethal means safety and work with at-risk patients and their families to reduce access to lethal means of suicide. Earlier this month, the AMA’s House of Delegates passed a number of resolutions that bolster the AMA’s already strong policy on firearm safety and violence prevention, which includes calling for gun violence restraining orders that would provide a mechanism to remove firearms from individuals at heightened risk of violence to themselves or others.