Nevada Senator Harry Reid announced today $300,462 from the National Institute of Mental Health to study suicide prevention. This grant will be delivered to the University of Nevada, Reno to develop a project entitled, "Feasibility of Adaptive Treatments for Suicidal College Students: a SMART Design." This research project will examine the efficiency of different approaches and interventions that college counseling centers take to address suicidality in students. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people age 10 to 24.
"Suicide prevention is extremely important to me. I am so pleased that the National Institute of Mental Health has awarded the University of Nevada, Reno with the resources necessary to conduct this critical research right here in the Silver State," said Reid. "Suicide rates are still way too high throughout the US and in Nevada. This grant plays an important role in addressing this serious public health problem."
Senator Reid has made suicide prevention a top priority throughout his time in Congress. He helped create the first National Suicide Prevention Strategy, which developed a comprehensive suicide prevention framework. He also helped pass the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act to provide funding for research, training, and technical assistance to target youth suicide. Additionally, in 2008 Senator Reid continued work that began in 1996 to secure mental health parity laws so that mental illnesses would be treated the same as physical illnesses. And he fought to pass the Affordable Care Act, which expands access to coverage for mental health services for millions of Americans.