South Carolina

South Carolina’s suicide prevention activities are housed within the South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (BHDD) Office of Mental Health. The Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP), began as the South Carolina Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative (SCYSPI), funded by federal Garrett Lee Smith Memorial (GLS) Zero Suicide grants. In 2019, the state established OSP as a permanent office within its Division of Community Mental Health Services, and in 2021, launched South Carolina Communities of Care to engage communities in suicide prevention using the Zero Suicide framework. The South Carolina Department of Public Health maintains the South Carolina Violent Death Reporting System (SCVDRS) for suicide mortality and morbidity data.

AFSP-South Carolina serves as both a partner and Advisory Board member on South Carolina’s 988 initiatives, supporting statewide crisis system development. Through a partnership between the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) and the South Carolina Department of Mental Health’s Office of Suicide Prevention, the state launched SafeSide for Youth Services, funded by OSP’s Garrett Lee Smith grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In 2024, South Carolina was awarded its second Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention Grant, further strengthening the state’s capacity to implement youth‑focused, evidence‑informed suicide prevention strategies.

After being officially relaunched in 2016, the South Carolina State Suicide Prevention Coalition, which includes AFSP-South Carolina, released the South Carolina Strategy for Suicide Prevention 2018-2025. In 2022, the coalition released an updated plan, Strategy for Suicide Prevention: 2022 State Plan, to reflect progress made, emerging trends and needs, and new goals for the state.