September marks Nationwide Suicide Prevention Month – a month the place we come collectively as a nation to commit to creating suicide prevention a nationwide precedence. It’s also a month to recollect the lives misplaced to suicide, assist the hundreds of thousands of Individuals who’ve struggled with suicidality, and acknowledge the people, households, and communities which were impacted.
Suicide is a public well being disaster that impacts hundreds of thousands of Individuals and touches each neighborhood. Suicide is a main explanation for loss of life in america and the second explanation for loss of life for youngsters, teenagers, and younger adults (ages 10-34). In 2019, one individual died by suicide each 11 minutes. Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands extra folks think about or try suicide. In 2019, 12 million American adults severely considered suicide, 3.5 million made a plan, and 1.4 million tried suicide. Whereas all communities are affected by suicide, some populations are disproportionately impacted –together with American Indian/Alaska Natives, LGBTQ+ youth, veterans, and more and more, Black youth.
As our nation continues to dwell via the COVID-19 pandemic, danger components for suicide are exacerbated equivalent to melancholy, nervousness, trauma, grief, isolation, lack of employment, and monetary instability. Now, greater than ever earlier than, it’s time to prioritize suicide prevention. To successfully stop suicide, a public well being technique is required by which a number of approaches are carried out to each deal with and stop suicidality.
SAMHSA is a proud associate of the Nationwide Motion Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the nation’s public-private partnership for suicide prevention, and joins the Motion Alliance in working to advance the Nationwide Technique for Suicide Prevention each day. SAMHSA administers a number of grant applications devoted to stopping suicide and advancing the three precedence areas for the Nationwide Technique — reworking well being techniques, reworking communities, and altering the general public dialog.
Following are SAMHSA grant applications that deal with suicide –
- The Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Intervention Program helps states and tribes with implementing youth suicide prevention and early intervention methods in faculties, instructional establishments, juvenile justice techniques, substance use applications, psychological well being applications, foster care techniques, and different baby and youth-serving organizations.
- The Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Program helps schools and universities with creating a complete, collaborative, well-coordinated, and evidence-based strategy to boost psychological well being providers and stop psychological and substance use issues; promote help-seeking habits and cut back detrimental public attitudes; and enhance the identification and remedy of at-risk school college students to allow them to efficiently full their research.
- Grants to Implement Zero Suicide in Well being Methods helps well being techniques to implement the Zero Suicide mannequin. The Zero Suicide mannequin is a complete, multi-setting strategy to suicide prevention that’s designed to boost consciousness of suicide, set up referral processes, and enhance care and outcomes for such people who’re in danger for suicide.
- Nationwide Technique for Suicide Prevention grants assist states and communities in advancing efforts to stop suicide and suicide makes an attempt amongst adults age 25 and older.
- The Tribal Behavioral Well being Grant Program (Native Connections) helps federally acknowledged American Indian/Alaska Native tribes, tribal organizations, City Indian Organizations, or consortia of tribes or tribal organizations in stopping suicide and substance misuse, lowering the affect of trauma, and selling psychological well being amongst American Indian/Alaska Native youth via the age of 24 years.
- Disaster Middle Observe-up grants assist Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline Disaster Facilities in selling continuity of care and safeguarding the well-being of people who’re prone to suicide.
- COVID Emergency Suicide Prevention grants assist states and communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in advancing efforts to stop suicide and suicide makes an attempt amongst adults age 25 and older.
SAMHSA additionally oversees the Suicide Prevention Useful resource Middle and Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
- The Suicide Prevention Useful resource Middle (SPRC) is the nation’s solely technical help middle whose mission is to advance the Nationwide Technique for Suicide Prevention. The SPRC gives technical help, coaching, and sources to help states, tribes, organizations, and people to develop suicide prevention methods.
- The Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline is accessible by way of the toll-free quantity 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and gives 24/7, free, and confidential assist for anybody who could also be fighting suicide. Subsequent July, the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline might be accessible by calling the brand new, straightforward to recollect three-digit quantity, 9-8-8.
This month, and each day, SAMHSA is dedicated to prioritizing suicide prevention. We wish to thank our grantees and companions in coming collectively to advance suicide prevention efforts throughout the nation over the previous 12 months, notably within the midst of the pandemic.
Lastly, please know that suicide is preventable. Should you or a beloved one is contemplating suicide, that assist is offered. Please name 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or chat on-line.
Collectively, we are able to work to stop suicide.