Preventing Suicide
Preventing Suicide
Each week in May for our observance of Mental Health Month, we focus on a theme. This week’s theme is an especially important one: Suicide and its prevention. The numbers are troubling: From 1999 to 2017, the U.S. suicide rate increased 33%, from 10.5 to 14 suicides per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2008, suicide has ranked as the 10th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States.* What can we do to bring down the suicide rate? Improve access to treatment, reduce stigma, and increase awareness of suicide prevention. This is more important now than ever due to the COVID-19 crisis, which has imposed enormous stress on individuals, making the vulnerable even more so. Preventing suicide is everyone’s job. Through awareness and access, we can help those in crisis receive the support they need.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact the Suicide Prevention Hotline / Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.