Dear Colleagues,

As September marks Suicide Awareness Month, it’s a time for deep reflection and urgent action. Given the devastating rise in suicide rates, one could argue that every month should be dedicated to suicide awareness.

Consider this: by the time you finish reading this letter, someone in America will have taken their own life. If you revisit this letter a year from now, nearly 50,000 people will have died by their own hand. The statistics are tragic and compelling, underscoring the need for more effective interventions to save lives.

From 2000 to 2021, the suicide rate in the U.S. increased by 36%. Emergency room visits for suicide among pediatric patients and young adults have surged five-fold from 2011 to 2020.

Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-14 and 20-34, and the eleventh leading cause of death overall.

We are facing a public health crisis that is twofold:

1. The rising suicide rate, and
2. The glaring ineffectiveness of conventional methods to reverse this trend.

The recent HHS report offers more of the same: more hotlines, the same screenings, and additional funding for existing programs that have failed to stem the tide over the last two decades. It’s clear—we need new solutions, and we need them now.

I founded Psychiatry Redefined to teach healthcare providers a more comprehensive, practical, and effective way to treat mental illness. Our education equips clinicians with functional medicine tools and knowledge to move beyond mere symptom management; instead focusing on personalized, root-cause diagnosis and treatment that considers individual biology, genetics, and lifestyle. This is what we call Functional Psychiatry.

Functional Psychiatry: The Biology of Suicide Prevention

Mainstream psychiatry often relies on psychotherapy and medications to reduce suicide risk, with limited success. Functional and integrative psychiatry, however, identifies specific biomarkers that predict suicide risk—biomarkers that can differentiate patients more likely to progress from ideation to attempt. With functional psychiatry, you can test for these biomarkers, identify at-risk patients, and address the underlying imbalances contributing to their risk.

This innovative approach to suicide prevention has been a cornerstone of my practice for years, effectively reducing and preventing suicide. Clinicians now have access to objective, scientifically validated tools that can be used to combat the suicide epidemic.

To support your journey in integrating functional medicine into your practice for suicide prevention, I’m offering my course on Biological Models for Suicide Prevention free of charge this September. To enroll, click here and use the code: SUICIDECOURSEFREE2025

We are also offering a free Suicide Prevention Webinar on Sept. 25th at 8PM. Learn more and register here.

Additionally, please consider exploring our certified Functional & Integrative Psychiatry Fellowship program. This comprehensive program offers a wealth of protocols you can immediately apply to address a wide range of mental health challenges. Book a 1:1 call with me here to discuss how this Fellowship can enhance your practice and to see if you qualify for a scholarship.

We have the power to change the trajectory of countless lives. But it requires a commitment to expanding our skills and embracing a new approach to care—an approach that addresses the unique needs of each patient, and offers sustainable recovery.

Your in health, 

James Greenblatt, MD
Founder & CMO, Psychiatry Redefined