Suicide Update for September 2019

September is National Suicide Prevention Month 2019, the 46^th Annual National Suicide Prevention Week is September 8-14, 2019, and World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) 2019 is September 10, 2019.

Suicide Fast Facts (from World Suicide Prevention Day #WSPD):

• Each year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally.
• One suicide occurs every 30 seconds around the world, or 800,000 deaths per year
• For each life lost to suicide, roughly 135 partners, children, parents, friends, or colleagues suffer grief and loss, or about 108 million people each year
• For every completed suicide, 25 people attempt suicide and even more have suicidal ideation

In the United States, there were 47,173 suicides in 2017, equating with 14 of every 100,000 people dying.  Nevada ranked 11^th in the nation for number of deaths by suicide, with 627 people dying in 2017. The American Association of Suicidology publishes the full summary of national suicide statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics on its website each year.

Suicide is both a national and an international problem and September is a month when many entities from around the world focus on the mission to prevent suicide and the impact from each one that follows like ripples in a pond from a single thrown rock, affecting everyone to some extent. For behavioral health providers and others who need them, there are many resources that can help everyone to #BeThe1To. “#BeThe1To is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s message for National Suicide Prevention Month and beyond, which helps spread the word about actions we can all take to prevent suicide.”

Suicide Resources

• To see activities in the United States in observance of World Suicide Prevention Day, visit 2019 WSPD Activities from Around the World.
• #AAS365 #BeThere “The American Association of Suicidology believes we need focus on suicide prevention every day, of every year…It’s time to get involved, but not just this week and not just the month, It’s time to make #AAS365 a priority. And it’s time to make our efforts count.” To view activities in Nevada that are registered with this observance, visit #AAS365.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline “We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.” – 1-800-273-8255

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides suicide resources specifically designed for the many different populations that struggle with suicide:

• Youth
• Disaster Survivors
• Native Americans
• Veterans
• Loss Survivors
• LGBTQ+
• Attempt Survivors
• Persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, of who have Hearing Loss
• Ayuda En Español

CASAT OnDemand has provided information and resources for raising awareness and for collaborating with others to address the issue of suicide. In our blog archives are six previous articles addressing different aspects of the suicide problem:

Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Public Health Crisis That is Treatable and Preventable

What Behavioral Health Providers In Nevada Need to Know About Veterans and Suicide

Zero Suicide – Can We Get There?

Suicide and the Crisis Text Line

Suicide in Nevada: Are We Making Progress?

Suicide Contagion: Unintended Consequences of Celebrity Suicide

CASAT OnDemand has also compiled two separate Learning Labs for those who would like to take a “deep dive” into research and resources: Suicide and Crisis Helplines. Additional resources can be found in the Resources & Downloads section of the website.

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