September is Suicide Prevention Month — a time to raise awareness of an urgently important crisis. The goal this month is to shift public perception, spread hope and share vital information with people affected by suicide.
Ultimately, we want to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help.
How can you help?
Show up at the Luverne City Park at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, for the community’s fourth annual “Out of the Darkness Walk.” It’s an event to raise awareness and raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (See the related story in this week’s Star Herald.)
It’s a meaningful time for local families who have suffered suicide losses, and it’s a valuable way to gain insight into the efforts underway locally to improve brain health and prevent suicide.
The AFSP shares the following Top 10 Suicide Prevention Messages:
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, and it’s preventable.
As the suicide rate continues to rise, we must make mental health a national priority — and advocate for more investment in suicide research and nationwide prevention efforts.
There is no single cause for suicide, and suicide risk increases when several health factors and life stressors converge to create an experience of hopelessness and despair — learn the warning signs at afsp.org/signs.
Everyone has a role to play in preventing suicide, and together we can learn the suicide risks and warning signs, and encourage those who struggle to seek help.
Assume you are the only one who will reach out, have an honest conversation, ask directly about suicide and let them know you care.
Conditions like depression, anxiety and substance use problems, especially when unaddressed, increase risk for suicide — most people who actively manage their mental health conditions go on to engage in life.
If we encourage more people to seek treatment, we will make a huge difference in improving mental health and reducing suicide.
Suicide is complex, answers may not come easily, and it may take time to understand the thoughts and feelings associated with a suicide — you don’t have to go through this difficult experience alone.
Driving demand for better treatment will improve the field of mental health.
We can #StopSuicide.
