Suicide has reached epidemic proportions in America, claiming over 45,000 lives each year—more than car accidents or homicides. Yet suicides are preventable, if we can grasp the complex factors behind it and look out for suicide’s signs. Acclaimed journalist James Barrat delivers these insights with a deep dive into America’s suicide crisis. He examines suicide’s many risk factors, including genetics, substance abuse, access to lethal means, and mental health. Importantly, he explores how societal issues like racial trauma, bullying, and financial stress – in combination with other factors - can push people to kill themselves. Barrat reveals the structural and chemical differences found in suicidal brains, providing biological insights. This book celebrates solutions. Barrat shows how the US Air Force and the nation of Denmark lowered suicide rates with comprehensive ‘systems approaches’ that enlist every member of society in impactful interventions.