suicide prevention tagged posts

As a Suicide Attempt Survivor, I Work to Prevent Suicides

Tracey

Tracey, Families for Depression Awareness Volunteer

Tracey’s life experience brought her to work as a certified peer specialist, helping people in crisis situations. She lives in Massachusetts. 

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AFSP’s Suicide Prevention Policy Priorities: Our Agenda for Progress

John Madigan

John Madigan, Vice President of Public Policy
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Reducing the incidence of suicide requires a multi-pronged approach, including scientific research, educating the public, supporting suicide loss and attempt survivors, and advocating for public policies. That’s the premise for our work at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

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How the Action Alliance Is Advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention

National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention with Families for Depression Awareness

It’s Suicide Prevention Month. What is happening with national suicide prevention efforts?

The steady increase in suicide rates in the U.S. since 1999 underscores the need for coordinated and comprehensive prevention efforts involving government agencies, communities, organizations, families, and individuals.

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Everyone Has a Role in September and All Year Round

NAASP logo

Kimberly Torguson, Associate Director of Communications

September kicks off national suicide prevention month! This month serves to share helpful suicide prevention resources, highlight prevention successes, promote hope, and encourage help-seeking behaviors. This month, Families for Depression Awareness (FFDA), and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) in collaboration with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (and many other national organization’s) are encouraging everybody’s involvement to help elevate the important role we all have in preventing this preventable public health issue.

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Reducing the Suicide Rate Among Middle-Aged Men in Massachusetts

MassMen, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Program

Of the more than 44,000 Americans who die by suicide each year, the vast majority—79%—of those who are taking their lives are men.

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Suicide, Stigma, and the Role of Religious Faith

Matthew S. Stanford, PhD
Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Biomedical Studies, Baylor University

We acknowledge the collaboration of American Association of Pastoral Counselors in developing this post.

Throughout history, suicide has frequently been misunderstood and religion has played a significant role in adding to its stigma. Sadly, due to misinformation that typically dates back to Biblical teachings, many Christians consider suicide to be an unforgivable sin. But demonizing suicide is outdated and ignores the real cause: mental illness.

It’s time for religious communities to play a pivotal role in addressing this nation’s mental health crisis and many are rising to the challenge. Congregation by congregation, attitudes are evolving.

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Preventing Depression in Vulnerable Youth: To Prevent Suicides, We Need to Do More

In order to reverse the trend in youth and adolescent suicide rates, we need to implement effective interventions to prevent depression. Though that remains a challenge for the population as a whole, there are vulnerable subgroups – including socioeconomically disadvantaged, sexual minority, and racial and ethnic minority youth – for whom it is not clear that common preventive interventions are effective. There is a reason we don’t know this: we’re not doing enough to find out.

Last week, Dr. Donna Holland Barnes discussed the horrific upward trend of suicide rates among very young Black males, ages 5-11. We know that one of the key strategies in preventing youth depression and depression symptoms–often precursors to suicidal ideation–is to use early interventions that help to develop resilience, coping and communication skills, and capacity for emotional expression. Dr. Barnes notes that there are some excellent programs for introducing coping mechanisms but, unfortunately, funding and access limit their implementation in schools.

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Why Are Children Taking Their Own Lives? What Can We Do?

Donna Holland Barnes, PhD

Donna Holland Barnes, PhD
President/Co-Founder, National Organization for People of Color Against Suicide
Howard University, Department of Psychiatry

Suicide is a painful and sensitive topic under any condition, but it becomes exponentially more so when we’re talking about the most vulnerable members of our society: children.

A recent study entitled “Suicide Trends Among Elementary School Aged Children in the United States,” published in JAMA Pediatrics, showed that the suicide rate among Black males between the ages of 5 to 11 has nearly doubled in the last two decades.

This is a shockingly young age bracket. While we know little about why these children are taking their own lives, we can only guess that there is a disconnect somewhere.  So where do we begin to address such a tragic and complicated issue?

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