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Oklahoma

Learn more about suicide and prevention efforts in Oklahoma, including a list of laws enacted in AFSP's top priority areas. Updated: February 2024.

Oklahoma suicide prevention plans and initiatives

Oklahoma law, via the Suicide Prevention Act, designates the state’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) as the lead agency for suicide prevention activities and establishes the Oklahoma Suicide Prevention Council to work in cooperation with the Department (43A Okl. St. §§ 12-101 to 12-105). Originally passed in 2001 as the Youth Suicide Prevention Act and Council, the law was later amended in 2008 and since then state efforts have focused on suicide prevention strategies for all ages and the Council now addresses suicide across the lifespan. In 2015, the Council issued the 2015-2020 Oklahoma Strategy for Suicide Prevention and has since been responsible for overseeing the development of various stages of the strategy and assisting communities in implementing activities to address the specific needs of their population(s). While no longer mandated by state law as of January 1, 2020, the Council continues to operate.

With assistance from ODMHSAS, the Oklahoma State Department of Education maintains a suicide prevention webpage that offers helpful resources on ways constituents can prevent suicide in their local school and community, as well as statistics and reports on youth suicide, including the 2020 Oklahoma Youth and Young Adult Suicide Report issued by the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) and based on data from the Oklahoma Violent Death Reporting System and 2020 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Oklahoma laws

Key:

  • Required by law
  • Encouraged by law
  • No law in place

Crisis lines and 988 implementation

  • Addresses 988 infrastructure and provides for telecom user fee
  • Addresses 988 infrastructure but does not include telecom user fee
  • 988 law limited to creating an exploratory commission, advisory committee, or task force

Mental health parity

  • Public health plans (e.g., Medicaid) regularly submit parity compliance analyses to state regulators
  • Private health plans (individual and group) regularly submit parity compliance analyses to state regulators

K – 12 school suicide prevention

  • Inclusion of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and/or other crisis line(s) on student ID cards
  • Student allowances for excused mental health absences
  • School personnel must report student suicide risk to a parent and/or guardian
  • Suicide prevention and/or mental health training for certain school personnel, annual
  • Suicide prevention and/or mental health training for certain school personnel, not annual
  • Suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies/programming
  • Student education on suicide prevention

Health professional training in suicide assessment, treatment and management

  • Mental health professionals receive regular training
  • Mental health professionals receive one time training
  • Medical/surgical professionals receive regular training
  • Medical/surgical professionals receive one time training

Conversion therapy bans

  • Prohibits licensed/board certified mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy with minors under 18 years of age
  • Prohibits licensed/board certified mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy with vulnerable adults
  • Prohibits use of state funds for any purpose related to conversion therapy (e.g., conducting, making a referral for, or extending health benefits coverage for)

University and college campus suicide prevention

  • Inclusion of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and/or other crisis line(s) on student ID cards
  • Students receive information on available mental health and/or suicide prevention services and/or resources
  • Adoption of suicide prevention/awareness policy or program

Advocate for suicide prevention

Learn how our volunteer Field Advocates are helping to pass suicide prevention legislation and policies that can save lives