Social Security Administration tells callers that suicide is an option

Social Security Administration tells callers that suicide is an option

SSA places people with suicidal thoughts at risk

By Lynda Carson - February 16, 2026

The Social Security Administration has made a few headlines in recent days for advising callers expressing suicidal thoughts that “suicide is an option.” See a few headlines below…

-Government Executive, ‘Suicide is only one option': Social Security staff newly assigned to phone duties raise concerns over training.

-Rawstory.com, Trump admin horrifies with training on suicidal callers: 'That’s not the thing you say’.

-International Business Times UK, SSA's Controversial Suicide Guidance Sparks National Outcry.

In contrast to what the SSA has been promoting recently, suicide appears to bad for ones health, and well being.

In these horrible very grim times that we find ourselves in, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has been instructing newly assigned employees answering phone calls, to tell distressed callers sharing suicidal thoughts that suicide is “one option.”

It has been terrifying that the federal government under the convicted felon President Trump administration has been involved in many despicable activities, including the violence, and murder of U.S. citizens by the murderous thugs at, ICE.

Meanwhile, making matters worse, SSA employees have been involved in telling distressed callers to the Social Security Administration who may be considering suicide, that suicide is an option. That’s right. The SSA believes that suicide is an option for those calling the Social Security Administration, that may be expressing suicidal thoughts.

Reportedly as recent as February 13, 2026, in part the story by Eric Katz about the SSA says, “The Social Security Administration has instructed employees newly assigned to answering phones to tell callers expressing suicidal thoughts that suicide is “one option,” raising concerns from employees and experts in the field who called the approach unorthodox.
 
SSA recently began shifting new swaths of its workforce to phone answering duty, including those who normally receive and process retirement and disability claims, manage the agency’s technology and work in the agency's finances unit. Those employees received brief, three-hour training before they began answering calls.
 
As part of that training, they were warned some callers may express suicidal ideation and presented with examples using a theoretical employee named Fiona. 

“It's important for Fiona to keep the caller engaged and to remind her that suicide is only one option,” the animated trainer told employees in the video, a copy of which was obtained by Government Executive, “and that there is no urgency to make any decisions.”

Employees at the training, which occurred on Jan. 26 for benefits authorizers and post-entitlement technical experts, were taken aback by the comment and asked their supervisors for clarity. One employee at the training said there was “disbelief that it was just said” among those in the room.”

For what it’s worth, I know of two people who committed suicide a number of years ago where I reside presently, in addition to a woman named Mary Jesus who committed suicide at the Oakland Tribune Tower years ago.

It does not appear to be a very good idea for the SSA to be telling people with suicidal thoughts, that suicide is an option.

Reportedly, in the above mentioned SSA story, in part it also says, “Caitlin Thompson, a clinical psychologist who spent eight years at the Veterans Affairs Department as a clinical care coordinator on the Veterans Crisis Line and later as the department’s national director of suicide prevention, said SSA's approach did not follow commonly accepted best practices.
 
“It’s not a normal thing to say,” Thompson said. “No. That’s not the thing you say to somebody who might be suicidal.” 

Instead, SSA would be better suited telling employees to ask callers if they feel safe in the immediate term and if they say no, to tell the caller that they will work with their supervisor to get them in touch with a crisis line. 

“It’s a very specific thing to be able to talk to people,” Thompson said, noting that employees were not hired or properly trained to handle issues that arise on phone calls like those SSA processes. Of potentially suicidal callers, she added, “It can’t just be a ‘sorry to hear that.”

A recent report about Veterans committing suicide may be found here.

Apparently, Disney World appears to be a favorite location for people to commit suicide at for some reason.

Lynda Carson may be reached at newzland2 [at] gmail.com

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