According the National Center for Health Statistics, there were 29,199 US suicide deaths, or a rate of 10.7 per 100,000 in 1999. It was the 8 th leading cause of death for males, who outnumber female suicide deaths by 4 to1. Half as many African American and Hispanic Americans died by suicide compared to whites. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults (ages 15-24 years) and the fourth leading cause for young adults (ages 25-44 years). These mortality statistics also indicate that older white males aged 85 or older have the highest rates of suicide, exceeding the national average by 6-fold (Hoyert, Airas, Smith, Murphy, & Kochanek 2001).

Recognizing that suicide has profound public health significance, the United States Senate (Resolution 83: Recognizing Suicide as a National Problems and Declaring Suicide Prevention to be a National Priority, Congressional Record, 1997) and the Surgeon General (The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Suicide, US Public Health Service, 1999) have declared suicide prevention to be a national public health priority. The Surgeon General has recommended the implementation of a National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Among the many recommendations made, the Surgeon General encouraged the development of scientific strategies for evaluating suicide prevention interventions. Specifically, the evaluation of neurobiological and psychosocial interventions for individuals at risk for suicide (eg, patients with mental disorders) was strongly endorsed and seen as necessary for achieving the goal of suicide prevention (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2001).