It’s hard to talk about what you can’t see. We use imagery to convey import, highlight concepts, and simplify complex subjects. Depicting suicide prevention concepts can be challenging without raising ideas that can be discouraging at best, or triggering at worst. At its heart, suicide prevention is hopeful work rooted in the strengths of individuals and those around them.
In honor of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, suicide prevention efforts, and survivors everywhere, Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA) has collaborated with experts in the field to create a suite of nine icons that illustrate key suicide prevention concepts in a strength-based and recovery-oriented manner.
This suite addresses key concepts within Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices, as well as critical topics addressed in suicide prevention work:
- Identifying people at risk for suicide
- Recognizing suicidal ideation
- Increasing help-seeking behavior
- Creating safety plans
- Responding to a crisis
- Providing postvention services
- Linking to care
- Enhancing protective factors
- Promoting connectedness
The icons, developed by PRA graphic artist Briela Tollisen, are available to the public for free use. We’re releasing these graphics to the field to promote positive, proactive, and safe conversations around suicide prevention. We hope you will use them to further your work on this critical topic.
How to Use These Free Icons
Download an icon pack and use any of the icons to advance suicide prevention in any medium. Attribution (“Image credit: Policy Research Associates, Inc.”) is appreciated but not required. Select the pack in black and white or full color, depending on your needs. If you have an application for these icons that would benefit from a change in color scheme, reach out to communications@prainc.com for editable versions.
Download the Suicide Prevention Icons (Zip File): Color | Black and White
Resources for Writing About Suicide
- Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide | ReportingonSuicide.org
- Recommendations for Blogging on Suicide | BloggingonSuicide.org
- National Recommendations for Depicting Suicide | National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
- Social Media Safety Toolkit | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Safe Messaging Factsheet | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 across the United States: 1-800-273-8255 or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.