September 10 – World Suicide Prevention Day,
September 10, 2019
Today, September 10, is the annual World Suicide Prevention Day, and we here at HDRF wanted to take a moment to discuss the day itself as well as ways all of us can help to prevent suicide in our own communities. This year, World Suicide Prevention Day focuses on the theme of “Working Together to Prevent Suicide,” to emphasize that mental health care and suicide prevention is incumbent on us all.
Before delving into what individuals can do to help, we first want to highlight some of the staggering facts about suicide.
- 1.3 million adults in the United States attempted suicide in the 12 months of 2012
- For every 25 suicide attempts, one person would succeed at taking their own life*.
- A person dies by suicide every 12 minutes, over 40,000 per year****
- Fatal suicide attempts are more likely in*:
- Men
- People above 45
- People with less than a high school education (a strong indicator of lower socioeconomic status)
- 44% of people that attempted suicide in 2012 did not receive any mental health care after the attempt
- Suicide rates have risen over 60% in the past fifty years**
- On a global level, suicide is vastly under-reported or mis-categorized as “accidental death”
When looking at statistics such as these it can be hard to understand what could possibly be done to fix the problem. That is a big part of why World Suicide Prevention Day makes it a point to educate the public and get all people involved in solving the global suicide crisis.
Help make suicide less common by***:
- Raising awareness about the issue
- Educate yourself and others about:
- Causes of suicide
- Warning signs
- Show compassion for those in distress
- Don’t brush off a dark comment or walk away from someone in need
- Encourage conversation
- The stigma of suicide forces it into the shadows
If you would like to get directly involved with this year’s World Suicide Prevention day you can join IASP, the creators of the day, by joining in on their Cycle the Globe Event, or their Light a Candle Event which aims to bring attention to the issue of suicide as well as provide an opportunity for loved ones to remember those they have lost to suicide.
We at HRDF encourage you to show your solidarity this September 10th, as well as consider getting involved with our goal of improving mental health worldwide by funding and supporting groundbreaking neuroscience research into depression prevention and treatment. Depression is the leading cause of suicide and that’s why we’re determined to get to the bottom of it.
If you or a loved one are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.