More than one million people attempted suicide in the United States in 2013, with total of 41,149 fatal outcomes reported. As the 10^th ranking cause of death in the United States, statistics reveal that an average of 113 people died by suicide every day – or roughly one person every 12.8 minutes.

Sponsored by the American Association of Suicidology, the 41^st annual National Suicide Prevention Week is underway from September 7-13, 2015 and aims to bring a simple message to schools, colleges, hospitals, mental health centers and treatment facilities nationwide: suicide prevention is everyone’s business.

As any mental health malpractice attorney knows, it is critical not only to ensure that those with suicidal ideations and behaviors receive the help they need, but for healthcare professionals of all types to receive the training necessary to identify at-risk patients at schools, colleges, hospitals and mental health centers across the United States.

What is National Suicide Week?

In conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, National Suicide Prevention Week is designed to raise awareness for some of the most common factors for suicide – such as mental illness, substance abuse, previous suicide attempts and access to lethal means – and how to engage individuals and organizations alike to the cause of suicide awareness and prevention.

As part of the campaign, organizations are encouraged to recognize suicide as a significant public health problem. States are encouraged to develop accessible behavioral health service programs, use multiple suicide prevention efforts appropriate for different populations and communities and encourage educational initiatives in schools and colleges.

In addition, National Suicide Prevention Week also encourages high schools, colleges and universities to create activities to educate students about the prevalence of suicide, engage students in prevention activities and promote public awareness about the importance of suicide prevention.

By drawing attention to the critical topic of suicide prevention, the campaign also aims to reduce the negative social stigma surrounding the topic of suicide and encourage the assistance and support of people who have faced suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide. As of 2011, the American Association of Suicidology estimated more than 4.6 million survivors of attempted suicide in the United States alone.

As a means of raising awareness for the issue of suicide prevention, National Suicide Prevention Week observance has a specific theme each year. Past themes have included “Suicide Prevention Across the Life Span” in 2007, “Families, Community Systems and Suicide” in 2010 and “Changing the Legacy of Suicide” in 2011.

A Dallas, TX suicide attorney at the Law Offices of Skip Simpson can help. Call (214) 618-8222 or visit http://www.skipsimpson.com to schedule a free case consultation.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2015 at 6:28 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.