National Suicide Prevention Week

On average, one person commits suicide every 16.2 minutes in the United States, according to DoSometing.org; it is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15-24, and second for those aged 24 to 35 - the cause of death for nearly 30,000 Americans each year.

With increasing recorded suicide death rates, a World Suicide Prevention Day was put into place by the International Association for Suicide Prevention in the 1990’s, and takes place across the world on September 10 every year. The 10th also now marks the beginning of National Suicide Prevention Week every September.

The AAS and Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (AASP) have taken many strides in creating a “prevention week" trend on social media by offering temporary profile photos of the Suicide Prevention Week graphic, sharing their message on Facebook and Twitter, and allowing for engagement on their posts. Materials on how to host a suicide prevention and awareness event, opportunities on how to become a certified suicide prevention school official, and materials for you to use in your own social media campaign are also available on the AAS and AASP websites.

If you might know a young person that is at risk for suicide, read through the suicide warning signs where information is offered for peers, healthcare professionals, and parents/caregivers to help you recognize the signs. If you believe you or someone you know is at immediate risk for suicide, never hesitate to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, contact the Lifeline Crisis Chat, or call 911.

Take this next week to raise awareness about suicide and take part of the national effort to help those in need.

-The Thrive Team