By CARLA K. JOHNSON

Health care systems can reduce suicides through patient screening, safety planning and mental health counseling, a new study suggests, an important finding as the U.S. confronts it 11th leading cause of death.

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The “Zero Suicide Model” was developed in 2001 at Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, where the focus on people considering suicide included collaborating with patients to reduce their access to lethal means such as firearms and then following up with treatment.

The approach made a difference, and for all of 2009, the health system saw no suicides among patients. The researchers then studied what happened when a different health system, Kaiser Permanente, adopted the program in four locations from 2012 through 2019.

Suicides and suicide attempts fell in three of the locations, while the fourth maintained a low rate of suicides and attempts. Suicide attempts were tracked in electronic health records and insurance claims data. Suicides were measured using government death records.

Reductions varied and reached up to 25%, said lead author Brian Ahmedani, of Henry Ford Health.

“Over the course of the year, that’s up to 165 to 170 suicide attempts that were prevented at these participating health care systems,” Ahmedani said.

The study, published Monday in JAMA Network Open, shows the model works, said Katherine Keyes, a Columbia University public health professor who studies suicide.

Prior research has shown that nearly everyone who dies by suicide is seen by a health care provider in the year before their death, Keyes said. Many doctor’s offices have started asking patients whether they’ve thought about harming themselves.

“We are coming into contact with people who are at high risk for suicide. If we don’t ask them, we don’t know,” said Keyes who was not involved in the new study.

Grants from the National Institute of Mental Health funded the research.

“Complex health problems like suicide cannot be challenged effectively without federal leadership,” said Mike Hogan, who led mental health systems in Connecticut, Ohio and New York, and chaired President George W. Bush’s commission on mental health in 2002 and 2003.

“This is a very important research report, confirming that reducing suicide among people in health systems is possible,” Hogan said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By Brian Baker, CFA, Bankrate.com

Stocks sold off in early April as investors grappled with how tariffs would impact inflation and the outlook for economic growth. Some investors even grew concerned about a possible recession. Some of the biggest tech companies saw their shares tumble 20% or more, with Tesla falling around 50% from its recent high. The Federal Reserve faces the challenge of whether to cut interest rates at the risk of keeping inflation above its target, or keeping rates elevated at the risk of seeing economic growth slow.

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It can be concerning to watch markets fall quickly and see your portfolio and retirement accounts decline in value. But it’s especially important during market declines to keep your eyes on your long-term goals. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can time the market, jumping in when things are good and out when things are bad. Avoiding this and other misguided moves will serve you well in the long run.

Working with a financial adviser can help you navigate uncertain economic times. Bankrate’s financial adviser matching tool can help you find an adviser in your area.

Avoid making these investment mistakes when markets plunge

1. Don’t become a short-term trader

It can be tempting during declines to get wrapped up in the latest news and the tick-by-tick of where markets are trading. Cable news shows have rapidly moving prices flashing on the screen at all times and may hold nightly specials to discuss where things are headed next. But the truth is that these so-called experts are a lot better at explaining what has happened than what’s going to happen.

Remember why you invested in the first place and keep those goals in mind. Many people invest for long-term goals like retirement, which might still be decades away. Resist the urge to become a short-term trader just because prices are moving around a lot. If you didn’t predict the current sell-off, don’t think you can predict what will happen next.

2. Don’t chase recent winners

When markets are falling, it’s natural to think about where you could be invested to avoid the current pain. But selling what has gone down to buy what has already gone up isn’t likely to be a winning strategy over time. You may feel better in the short term and you may even make money for a period of time, but you’ll be better off sticking with your chosen portfolio allocations and rebalancing toward those allocations as prices change.

Remember that stocks are part of a long-term investment plan and their volatility is to be expected. Your reward for handling periods of high volatility is a return that has averaged around 10% per year for decades, based on the S&P 500.

3. It’s not the time to panic and sell everything

Watching a portfolio decline during a market sell-off isn’t something anyone enjoys. It can trigger an emotional response to watch money we saved and invested seemingly disappear in a period of hours or days. You might even have a very strong urge to sell, just to keep your portfolio from declining even more. But that would be a mistake.

Investors who think they can get out of the market until things settle down or until there’s less uncertainty are likely to miss the recovery when it comes. And the recovery can be just as swift as the decline, penalizing those who got out and failed to get back in.

Selling can be especially harmful if it ends up being the right call for a period of time. If stocks continue to fall after you sell, you may feel great about your decision. It’s nice to watch your portfolio stabilize while the markets are still selling off. But the problem is that it can feel so good that you may never get back in, or once you do, you’re stuck paying higher prices than you sold at.

Consider consulting with a financial adviser who can help you stick to your long-term investing plan when market volatility is giving you doubts.

4. Don’t check your portfolio constantly

Following every move in the market and constantly worrying about your fluctuating portfolio isn’t likely to lead to sound investment decisions during a market sell-off. If you’re constantly checking, it’s probably a sign that you’re worried, which could make it more likely that you make an emotional decision.

It’s also worth reminding yourself that if you participate in a workplace retirement plan such as a 401(k), you’re likely adopting the practice of dollar-cost averaging, which involves making consistent purchases of investments (in this case, usually mutual funds) over time. This approach means that you’re buying fewer shares when prices are high and more shares when they’re low.

5. Cash is no place to hide

Cash may seem like the ideal place to be when markets are in free fall, but it’s actually a lousy asset to hold as a long-term investment. With inflation still elevated, you’re already losing purchasing power with your money in a traditional savings or checking account. The Federal Reserve hopes long-term inflation will be around 2% per year, so cash is very likely to be worth less over time.

If you have short-term spending needs or are building an emergency fund, cash makes sense to hold for those needs, but it doesn’t make sense as a large position in a long-term investment portfolio when your goals are still decades away. Holding a small amount of your portfolio in cash — say 5% or less — may help you to take advantage of market declines when they come, allowing you to make purchases at attractive prices. But remember, cash maximizes its value by actually being invested at some point, not just sitting there.

Bottom line

Market sell-offs are unnerving and can lead to emotional decision-making. But you can avoid making mistakes by slowing down and thinking through your long-term investment plan. Remember that volatility is part of investing and knowing how to handle it properly can increase your long-term returns and make it more likely that you’ll achieve your goals.

Editorial Disclaimer: All investors are advised to conduct their own independent research into investment strategies before making an investment decision. In addition, investors are advised that past investment product performance is no guarantee of future price appreciation.

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By JON GAMBRELL and AMIR VAHDAT, Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran ‘s foreign minister said Tuesday he’ll meet with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman for the first negotiations under the Trump administration seeking to halt Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program as tensions remain high in the Middle East.

Speaking to Iranian state television from Algeria, Abbas Araghchi maintained the talks would be indirect, likely with Omani mediators shuttling between the parties. U.S. President Donald Trump, in announcing the negotiations on Monday, described them as direct talks.

Years of indirect talks under the Biden administration failed to reach any success, as Tehran now enriches uranium up to 60% purity — a technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Both the U.S. and Israel have threatened Iran with military attack over the program, while officials in Tehran increasingly warn they could potentially pursue a nuclear bomb.

“Our main goal in the talks is naturally restoring rights of people as well as lifting sanctions, and if the other side has a real will, this is achievable, and it has no relation to the method, either direct or indirect,” Araghchi said. “For the time being, indirect is our preference. And we have no plan to alter it to direct.”

Araghchi’s comments left space for Iran to potentially hold direct talks eventually with the Americans. Such talks aren’t known to have been held since the Obama administration.

There was no immediate acknowledgment from the U.S. that Witkoff would lead the American delegation.

News of talks boosts Iran’s ailing economy

After Trump’s comments on the talks went public, Iran’s ailing economy showed new signs of life. Its rial currency, which hit a record low of over 1 million rials to the dollar, rebounded Tuesday to 990,000 rials. The Tehran Stock Exchange separately rose some 2% on the news.

Iran’s economy has been severely affected by international sanctions, particularly after Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. At the time of the 2015 deal, which saw Iran drastically limit its enrichment and stockpiling of uranium in exchange for lifting of international sanctions, the rial traded at 32,000 to the dollar.

Economic upheavals have evaporated the public’s savings, pushing average Iranians into holding onto hard currencies, gold, cars and other tangible wealth. Others pursue cryptocurrencies or fall into get-rich-quick schemes.

Trump’s letter sparked talks

The negotiations Saturday come after Trump wrote to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, trying to jump-start direct talks between Tehran and Washington. Khamenei came down hard on Trump in February and warned talks “are not intelligent, wise or honorable” with his administration.

Meanwhile, Trump is continuing an intense airstrike campaign targeting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the last force in Tehran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” able to attack Israel after other militant groups were severely weakened by Israel during its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

FILE – President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

There had been intense anger toward Trump from Iran’s theocracy, particularly over his decision to launch a drone strike that killed prominent Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020. U.S. officials have said Trump faced assassination threats from Iran in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.

But Iran may be taking a different path now. The hard-line Iranian newspaper Kayhan on Saturday published a piece warning: “Trump will be dead from several bullets into his empty head in revenge for Martyr Soleimani’s blood.” A day later, the Press Supervisory Board in Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance issued a warning to the daily over the article, which the newspaper later described as satire.

Asked about Trump’s mention of planned direct talks between the U.S. and Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow welcomes them, adding that “we support settling the issue of the Iranian nuclear dossier by political and diplomatic means.”

Peskov added in a conference call with reporters: “We are aware that certain contacts, both direct and indirect, are planned in Oman and we can only welcome them as they could lead to the de-escalation of tensions around Iran.” His remarks come as Trump is trying to negotiate a separate peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, talks that also have happened in the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia.

An expert-level meeting among representatives from Russia, China and Iran was to take place in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, according to Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in comments carried by Russian news agencies.

Vahdat reported from Tehran, Iran.

By VALERIE GONZALEZ, Associated Press

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — Migrants who were temporarily allowed to live in the United States by using a Biden-era online appointment app have been told to leave the country “immediately,” officials said Monday. It was unclear how many beneficiaries would be affected.

More than 900,000 people were allowed in the country using the CBP One app since January 2023. They were generally allowed to remain in the United States for two years with authorization to work under a presidential authority called parole.

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“Canceling these paroles is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect national security,” the Department of Homeland Security media affairs unit said in response to questions.

Authorities confirmed termination notices were sent to CBP One beneficiaries but did not say how many. They were urged to voluntary self-deport using the same app they entered on, which has been renamed CBP Home.

“It’s time for you to abandon the United States,” the Department of Homeland Security wrote to a Honduran family that entered the U.S. at the end of last year. The Associated Press reviewed the email received Sunday.

Others shared the same email on social media platforms.

Al Otro Lado, a nonprofit organization that provides legal aid to migrants, said some who received the revocation letters are from Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico.

CBP One was a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s strategy to create and expand legal pathways to enter the United States in an attempt to discourage illegal border crossings. By the end of December, 936,500 people had been allowed to enter with CBP One appointments at border crossings with Mexico. President Donald Trump ended CBP One for new entrants on his first day in office, stranding thousands in Mexico who had appointments into early February.

FILE – Maria Mercado, who is from Colombia but arrived from Ecuador, gets emotional as she sees that her 1 p.m. appointment was canceled on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app, as she and her family wait at the border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, Jan. 20. 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Trump has ended and revoked temporary status for many who benefited under Biden’s policies. Homeland Security said Monday that Biden’s use of parole authority — more than any president since it was created in 1952 — “further fueled the worst border crisis in U.S. history.”

Homeland Security said last month that it was revoking another form of parole for 532,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who flew to the country at their own expense with a financial sponsor. It ends April 24.

The Trump administration has also announced an end to Temporary Protected Status for 600,000 Venezuelans and about 500,00 Haitians, though a federal judge temporarily put that on hold, including for about 350,000 Venezuelans who had been scheduled to lose TPS on Monday. TPS is granted in 18-month increments to people already in the U.S. whose countries are deemed unsafe for return due to natural disaster or civil strife.