The Stream of Prevention

You may have heard some terms like “upstream” or “downstream” when talking about community-based work. But what does this actually mean? These terms stem from the analogy of health challenges being seen as a stream. In this instance, the “stream” is a behavioral health crisis or suicidality. The further downstream an intervention is, the closer they are to experiencing suicidality and/or crisis. We can provide solutions and interventions when someone is actively in crisis. This could be EMS or health care services. Additionally, we can also provide a wide array of solutions and interventions when someone is very far away from crisis, or upstream. These solutions may be increasing sense of belonging and having economic supports. Keep scrolling to learn about various interventions and where they fall on the stream of suicide prevention.