September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and a time to share resources to shed light on this important topic. Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide and the goal is to reduce factors that increase risk and increase factors that promote resilience. We use this month to reach out to those affected by suicide, raise awareness and connect individuals with suicidal ideation to treatment services. It is also important to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. It was responsible for more than 48,000 deaths in 2018, resulting in about one death every 11 minutes. Suicide affects all ages. It is the second leading cause of death for people 10 to 34 years of age, the fourth leading cause among people 35 to 54 years of age, and the eighth leading cause among people 55 to 64 years of age.

Managing mental health during COVID-19 is vital to overall well-being as keeping physically healthy. This pandemic may be affecting you, a friend, co-worker and/or a family member’s mental health more than any other time causing more stressors in your everyday life. Knowing the warning signs for suicide and how to get help can help save lives. The National Institute of Mental Health provide some behaviors that may be signs that someone is thinking about suicide. Several professional and practical resources are available to help manage and cope with emotional and mental health.

CDC has developed a technical package, Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices also available in Spanish. This technical package includes strategies and approaches that go beyond individual behavior change to better address factors impacting communities and populations.

If you are in crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is available to anyone. All calls are confidential.

If you are in need of information, resources, an assessment and referral for mental health or substance use services call 2-1-1. If you are experiencing a psychiatric emergency, call or text 9-1-1.