Social isolation, loneliness and disconnection are among the strongest modifiable risk factors for suicide. Strengthening social connection is a suicide prevention intervention.

Government efforts must be matched by sustained investment, robust measurement, and genuine multisectoral collaboration that reaches beyond the health sector into education, employment, housing and digital environments.

Social connection needs to be part of National Suicide Prevention Strategies and broader mental health policy; to address the social, economic and commercial determinants that drive isolation; and to invest in community-led solutions, particularly for young people and other populations at heightened risk.

The meaningful inclusion of people with lived experience in the design and evaluation of social connection initiatives also ensures that policy reflects the realities of those most affected.