Jake Collective and AFSP Launch Five-Year Suicide Prevention Initiative

The initiative brings together specialists in psychiatry, neurobiology, and pediatrics to map the neurocognitive and psychosocial factors that drive this heightened risk. By moving beyond traditional suicide prevention models—which are frequently designed for neurotypical individuals—the project aims to identify early warning signs that caregivers and therapists currently overlook. The partnership will also focus on scaling existing, underutilized interventions to ensure they reach families in real-world settings.

Data from the Journal of Attention Disorders and the journal Autism underscore the urgency: college students with ADHD are nearly two-and-a-half times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, while one-third of autistic individuals aged 16 to 21 report having contemplated ending their lives. Jake Collective, established in memory of Jake Schreiber, intends to use this research to transform how neurodivergence is supported. Dr. Christine Yu Moutier, chief medical officer at AFSP, noted that the collaboration will integrate scientific findings with lived experience to create actionable, lifesaving changes.