In the strictest sense, secondary and tertiary approaches to the prevention of suicide are not possible, since such prevention approaches require established cases. However, if one considers the secondary and tertiary prevention of illnesses which are known or thought to bring with them an increased risk for suicide, prevention of these illnesses and their consequences becomes a means of bringing secondary and tertiary prevention efforts to bear upon the prevention of suicide. When Indian communities experience high rates of suicide, prevention efforts are relied upon to halt suicides. However, Indian communities are sometimes unfamiliar with differences between health promotion and primary prevention, and may be unfamiliar with concepts of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Instead of focusing program development efforts upon mental illness itself, there may be a targeting of programs toward events that may be symptomatic endpoints of mental illness, such as suicide, violence, alcohol abuse, and child abuse. As an alternative, secondary and tertiary interventions directed at the prevention of suicide are examined, including evidence of their effectiveness, and new potential applications of these techniques. References