CommentPublished: 22 July 2026Christine B. Cha1,2 Nature Mental Health (2026) Cite this articleSave articleView saved researchSubjectsOutcomes researchPsychologyRisk factorsSuicide 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.This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institutionAccess optionsSubscribe to this journalReceive 12 digital issues and online access to articles79,00 € per yearonly 6,58 € per issueLearn moreBuy this articlePurchase on SpringerLinkInstant access to the full article PDF.39,95 €Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkoutFig. 1: Future life-oriented (FLO) processes.ReferencesHecht, J. M. Stay: A History of Suicide and the Philosophies Against It (Yale Univ. Press, 2013).Franklin, J. C. et al. Psychol. Bull. 143, 187–232 (2017).Article PubMed Google Scholar Shneidman, E. S. The Suicidal Mind (Oxford Univ. Press, 1996).Toukhy, N. et al. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 54, 878–887 (2024).Article PubMed Google Scholar Kovacs, M. & Beck, A. T. J. Clin. Psychol. 33, 361–365 (1977).Article PubMed Google Scholar Teismann, T. et al. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 54, 802–813 (2024).Article PubMed Google Scholar Nam, R. J. et al. Curr. Opin. Psychol. 59, 101853 (2024).Article PubMed Google Scholar Cha, C. B. et al. J. Clin. Child Adolesc. Psychol. 53, 908–921 (2024).Article PubMed Google Scholar O’Connor, R. C. & Pirkis, J. The International Handbook of Suicide Prevention (John Wiley & Sons, 2016).Wang, S. B. et al. JAMA Psychiatry 83, 99–100 (2026).Article PubMed Google Scholar Rudd, M. D. et al. Fluid Vulnerability Theory: a Cognitive Approach to Understanding the Process of Acute and Chronic Suicide Risk (American Psychological Association, 2006).O’Connor, R. C. & Nock, M. K. Lancet Psychiatry 1, 73–85 (2014).Article PubMed Google Scholar Ugueto, A. M. et al. Psychiatr. Serv. 76, 951–958 (2025).Article PubMed Google Scholar Ernst, M. et al. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 54, 831–843 (2024).Article PubMed Google Scholar Hallford, D. J. et al. Cogn. Ther. Res. 47, 20–37 (2023).Article Google Scholar Download referencesAcknowledgementsThe 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.Author informationAuthors and AffiliationsYale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USAChristine B. ChaYale Center for Brain and Mind Health, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USAChristine B. ChaAuthorsChristine B. ChaView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorCorrespondence to Christine B. Cha.Ethics declarationsCompeting interestsThe author declares no competing interests.Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this article