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Suicide prevention research has largely focused on reducing despair and risk factors. Yet theory, evidence and clinical encounters show that suicidal people are driven not only by a will to die, but also by a will to live. This Comment urges greater attention to future life-focused psychological processes that support daily efforts to stay alive.
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Acknowledgements
The author thanks L. Kelly, A. Martin, M. Nock, I. Gratch, N. Hohensee, O. Lawrence and D. Saldarriaga for feedback on earlier drafts of this paper; Y. Li for supporting manuscript preparation; the late P. R. Cha for initial encouragement and guidance; and, most importantly, the hundreds of patients, research participants and their families whose lived experiences have shaped the present outlook on suicide prevention.
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The author declares no competing interests.
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Cha, C.B. Suicide prevention and preserving the daily fight to live. Nat. Mental Health (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00685-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00685-7
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