Suicide Prevention in Animal Welfare: Eight Protective Factors

It’s National Suicide Prevention Month, which means it’s time to talk about an uncomfortable, yet important, topic: suicide. Even though it’s still “taboo,” at least in Western society, the fact is that many people live with suicidal thoughts for months, or even years. Long before I became a therapist and business owner, this was my normal. Some days the thoughts were incredibly strong and intrusive, other days they sat quietly in the background like a gentle, constant hum. I’m sharing this with you because one, I am no longer ashamed of my past struggles with mental illness, and two, I believe the more we open up the conversation, the less alone and “broken” people will feel.

And I think this conversation is particularly important in animal welfare.

People who work with animals aren’t immune to mental health struggles. In fact, some of the work we do may put us at greater risk.

Research has consistently found elevated suicide risk among veterinarians. One US study found that veterinarians died by suicide at more than twice the rate of the general population among men and more than three times the rate among women. Veterinary technicians and technologists have also been found to have elevated suicide mortality. A recent study of Norwegian veterinarians found that those who performed euthanasia five or more times a week had more than two and a half times the odds of experiencing serious suicidal thoughts compared with veterinarians performing euthanasia less.

Of course, animal welfare workers face much more than euthanasia. We deal with animal suffering, abuse, neglect, death, chronic grief, moral distress, understaffing, financial limitations, public criticism, and the pressure to constantly do more.

But you don't have to sacrifice yourself to prove that you care about animals.

What Are Protective Factors for Suicide Prevention?

I want to talk about something we don’t discuss nearly as much as risk factors: protective factors. Protective factors are the people, practices, beliefs, and systems that help create a safety net, so to speak, when life becomes overwhelming. But here’s the important thing to remember: you don’t have to be currently struggling with suicidal thoughts to start building yours. Here are eight things you can start working on today.

Stay Connected

Isolation can make difficult thoughts even harder to carry. Identify the people you can be honest with, such as friends, family, coworkers, a therapist, or animal welfare colleagues. You don’t have to wait until you’re in crisis to say, “I’m having a really effeing hard day.”

Get Professional Support

Therapy isn’t something you need to wait to engage with until you reach a breaking point. Having someone to talk to before a crisis can help you recognize patterns, manage distress, and build resilience for future stress, trauma, and loss.

Remember Your Inherent Value

We can’t save every animal. We can’t fix every broken system. We can’t be available all the time. Your value as a human being doesn’t decrease because you need to rest, set boundaries, and take care of your own physical and mental health.

Take Care of Yourself

Sleep, food, movement, stress management, and other basic forms of self-care may sound simple, but they are important pieces of the protective factors puzzle.

Create a Plan

If you've experienced suicidal thoughts before, consider creating a written safety plan while you’re feeling relatively stable. (Download your free safety plan here.) Know your warning signs, coping strategies, support network, and professional resources ahead of time, so you don’t have to have to figure everything out in the middle of a crisis.

Develop Healthy Coping Skills

Unlike self-care, which is proactive, coping skills are reactive strategies we can use in times of extreme stress, overwhelm, or crisis. Examples include engaging in something mentally or physically challenging (such as a crossword puzzle or yoga, respectively), practicing deep breathing or grounding skills, taking a walk, listening to music, or reaching out to someone you trust.

Find a Sense of Purpose

Remembering why you entered into animal welfare in the first place, or rediscovering your meaning can lead to increased resilience during tough times. And it doesn’t have to always relate to animals; having a sense of purpose can be derived from personal relationships, creativity, spirituality, contributing to your community, caring for others, or even having something you’re looking forward to.

Create a Safe Environment

If you’re experiencing a suicidal crisis, creating distance from potentially lethal means can provide valuable time for the intensity of the crisis to pass. If you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts, consider talking with someone you trust about ways to make your environment safer. This might include securely storing medications or firearms, asking someone else to temporarily hold certain items, or making other changes based on your circumstances. For people working in animal welfare, this may also mean thinking ahead about how to safely manage access to medications, chemicals, or other potentially dangerous items in the workplace.

Bonus Tip for Organizations

Mental health is a workplace safety issue. Psychological safety, peer support, mental health education, access to counseling, and thoughtful protocols around potentially lethal means (e.g., euthanasia drugs) can all contribute to a safer environment for staff and volunteers.

We Need You

If you’ve experienced suicidal thoughts, please don’t do what I did and carry that pain alone. And if you’re worried about someone else, don’t be afraid to ask directly whether they’re thinking about suicide. Asking doesn’t put the idea in their head. Listen without judgment and help them connect with support.

Remember, you don’t have to wait until you're in crisis to build your safety net. Start today. Reach out to someone. Make the therapy appointment. Set the boundary. Take the day off. Open up to someone about your struggling.

Because you matter. And this world needs you. The Animals Need You.

Want to Learn More?

Suicide awareness and prevention is one of the topics I explore more deeply in my forthcoming book, Beyond Compassion Fatigue: Trauma, Resilience, and Recovery in Animal Care and Advocacy. I share stories, research, and practical strategies for understanding suicide risk and strengthening protective factors in animal care and advocacy. The book is now available for pre-order and will be published February 9, 2027.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or experiencing a suicidal crisis in the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

-By Jennifer Blough, LPC