September: Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
The month of September is all about suicide prevention: September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, with Suicide Prevention Week being September 5-11, 2021, and World Suicide Prevention Day being Friday, September 10, 2021.
In honor of these important days, continue reading for important suicide prevention facts and resources.
Statistics about Suicide
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, in 2019:
Suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the US
47,511 Americans died by suicide
There were an estimated 1.38 million suicide attempts
The rate of suicide is highest in middle-aged white men
On average, there are 130 suicides per day
Firearms accounted for 50.39% of all suicide deaths
Suicide Warning Signs
According to the National Institute for Mental Illness (NIMH), these are common warning signs for suicide:
Talking about wanting to die or being a burden to others
Feeling empty, hopeless, trapped, extremely sad, increasingly anxious, or full of rage
Having no reason to go on living
Making a plan or researching ways to die
Withdrawing from friends, saying goodbye, giving away important items, or making a will
Taking dangerous risks such as driving extremely fast
Displaying extreme mood swings
Eating or sleeping more or less
Using drugs or alcohol more often
Crisis Resources for the United States
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - Call 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line - Text HOME to 741741
The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ hotline) - Call 1-866-488-7386
Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL) - Call 1-800-715-4225
IMAlive - Online chat at www.imalive.org
Go to your nearest hospital emergency room
Organizations to Support and Follow
If you’re interested in learning more about suicide prevention or looking for suicide prevention organizations to support financially or through social media, these are some great ones to consider:
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition
Also, if you’re looking for another way to get involved and you’re near the Cherokee County, Georgia area, consider participating in the Labor4Hope Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness 5k Run/Walk on Labor Day!
