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Originally published September 29, 2025
Last updated September 29, 2025
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In recognition of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and other upcoming mental health observances, Keck Medicine of USC is featuring a blog series highlighting Keck Medicine’s approach to suicide prevention.
Suicide risk is often linked to mental illness, but other health factors can increase risk. Keck Medicine of USC integrates psychiatry and social work into health care, adding an extra layer of care for patients with elevated mental health needs.
Keck Medicine psychiatrist Steven Siegel, MD, PhD, spoke with two Keck Medicine mental health clinical leaders, Charles Manchee, MD, and Kel Loftis, DSW, LCSW, about how physical and psychosocial health intersect with suicide risk.
Dr. Manchee: Research shows suicide risk rises with certain health conditions, including traumatic brain injury, sleep disorders and HIV/AIDS. More recently, studies suggest that it’s not the number of health conditions but the effect of activity restriction that is linked to increased risk, especially for people under age 60.
As such, it is important for patients, families and providers to have clear discussions about treatment goals and quality of life throughout the course of any medical illness.
Speaking about both suicidal thoughts and what is important to you with a provider can be critical to treatment.
Dr. Loftis: This is such an important point, and something our social workers support, particularly for patients who are more vulnerable. Hospital and program social workers walk alongside patients as they navigate the challenges of illness and help them advocate for the support they need to better reach treatment goals and maintain quality of life.
Social workers are often among the first to notice when a patient may be struggling emotionally. We are trained to recognize signs of distress and to help patients access mental health resources. We provide a safe, nonjudgmental space for patients and families to voice fears or uncertainties that may otherwise remain unspoken. This early engagement allows us to connect patients to counseling, support groups or psychiatric care before a crisis point is reached.
Dr. Loftis: Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital have multiple specialized social workers who focus on dedicated patient groups with complex psychosocial needs. We have worked with different medical specialties to identify populations where psychosocial and mental health needs are generally higher. Right now, we have dedicated social workers for pulmonary/cystic fibrosis, brain tumors, adolescent and young adult cancer, organ transplant, living-donor organ donation, and crisis. This is in addition to the unit-based social workers at our hospitals.
These programs allow our social workers to deeply understand patient challenges, such as the isolation that can come with cystic fibrosis or the identity shifts that may accompany cancer treatment. By building trusting relationships, we help patients feel seen, heard and supported. In many cases, this trust extends to family members, who often carry their own fears and anxieties. Including families in conversations about coping strategies, caregiving and resilience is another layer of suicide prevention.
As interdisciplinary social workers, we collaborate with psychiatry, nursing, palliative care, chaplaincy and other clinical teams. Together, we create individualized care plans that honor the medical and emotional needs of patients.
Dr. Manchee: A lot of pain factors seem to be related to the association of chronic pain and suicide risk. These factors range from pain’s effect on sleep to how pain alters our own perception of our mental health.
Pain is experienced on physical, emotional and psychological levels simultaneously. Important psychological aspects of pain such as mental defeat, hopelessness and perceived burdensomeness have been shown to be part of this link between chronic pain and suicide. Importantly, those same psychological aspects of pain can be treated through various chronic pain-management programs, including cognitive behavioral therapy or other forms of psychotherapy.
Dr. Manchee: The consultation-liaison psychiatry services team supports our expert physicians in other specialties by assessing and managing patients’ behavioral and emotional needs. This assistance comes in many forms, including direct assessment of patients identified with acute suicide risk. We collaborate with the patient, family and treatment team to characterize the patient’s suicide risk and to identify any contributing medical and psychological factors, and we work to minimize risk as well as identify methods to improve the patient’s well-being. We also work with mental health crisis specialist social workers and unit social workers to provide bedside psychotherapy or emotional support and to plan post-discharge care.
Dr. Loftis: You do not have to wait until things feel overwhelming to ask for help. If you are living with a serious illness or notice changes in your mental health, we encourage you to seek support. You are not alone.
I often remind patients and families that seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness. Social workers, psychiatrists and the entire Keck Medicine team are committed to walking alongside you. We want patients and families to know that support is available at every stage of illness: navigating difficult conversations, managing practical challenges or addressing mental health concerns. The earlier we can connect, the more effectively we can put support in place that may reduce risk and improve overall well-being.
Dr. Siegel is the vice president of Behavioral Health at the University of Southern California, Chief Mental Health Officer for Keck Medicine of USC and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Manchee is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School and medical director of consultation-liaison psychiatry services for Keck Hospital of USC, USC Norris Cancer Hospital and USC Arcadia Hospital. Dr. Loftis is a Doctor of Social Work and director of social services for Keck Medicine.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts:
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