National Suicide Prevention Week (NSPW) is an annual weeklong campaign to engage and inform health professionals and the general public about suicide prevention and warning signs of suicide.[1] They also work to reduce the stigma around seeking mental health help and of facets of suicide.[2]
Awareness events are held the Sunday through Saturday surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day held on September 10th. As part of the campaign health organizations conduct depression screenings, including self-administrated and online tests and refer those interested to a national line, 1-800-SUICIDE.[3][4] As of 2011[update] the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), sponsors of NSPW, estimates there are over 4.6 million survivors of attempted suicide.[5][6][7]
Started in 1975, the 38th annual NSPW will be September 9-12, 2012.[8]
As of 2009 suicide is the 11th leading cause of death with 33,000 fatalities and 1.8 million suicide attempts annually.[3] Researchers report that greater than 90 percent of people who died due to suicide had depression or "another diagnosable mental illnessorsubstance abuse disorder.[3] Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people aged 12-24.[6][9] Suicide rates for this 15-24 rose 136 percent from 1960 to 1980.[10]
According to Major David Reynolds, chief of Clinical Health Psychology at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center;
"The vast majority of people don't commit suicide because they want to kill themselves but as a way to end the torment of not being able to cope with their problem."[11]
Subgroups
A 2009 US Army report indicates military veterans have double the suicide rate as non-veterans and more active-duty soldiers are dying from suicide than in combat in the Iraq War (2003-2011) and War in Afghanistan (2001–present).[3] Colonel Carl Castro, director of military operational medical research for the Army noted "there needs to be a cultural shift in the military to get people to focus more on mental health and fitness."[12]
Rates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and adults is three times higher than national averages.[9] According to some groups, this is linked to heterocentric cultures and institutionalised homophobia in some cases, including the use of LGBTQ people as a political wedge issue like in the contemporary efforts to halt legalising same-sex marriages.[13] Many tie bullying, including cyberbullying to suicides of LGBTQ youth, celebrity Lady Gaga has met with US President Barack Obama in an effort to declare bullying of this nature a hate crime and illegal, she has been an advocate with several teens noting her as a hero before they took their own lives.[14] Founded in 1998 to address suicide among LGBT youth, the The Trevor Project has enlisted a variety of celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres, Daniel Radcliffe,[15]Neil Patrick Harris,[16]James Marsden,[17]Chris Colfer,[18]Kim Kardashian,[19], Darren Criss,[20]Dianna Agron,[21]George Takei,[22] and Anderson Cooper.[23] They use NSPW to launch new initiatives and campaigns utilizing their celebrity supporters.[24] The project was founded by the Academy Award-winning filmmakers of Trevor, about a gay thirteen-year-old boy who attempts suicide when his friends reject him because of his sexuality.[25] The filmmakers realized that some of the program's viewers might be facing the same kind of crisis as Trevor, and not finding a helpline for LGBTQ youth they created one.[25] The Trevor Lifeline is the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for LGBTQ youth.[26]
^Barnard, Linda (November 19, 2010). "Happy as Harry; A Grown-up Daniel Radcliffe Talks Bras, Girlfriends, Fame and New Opportunities as He Reflects on a Decade Playing the Boy Wizard". Toronto Star. p. E.1.
^[www.inmemoryofjoe.org/files/Suicide_Prevention_Week_2006-Info_Kit.pdf "National Suicide Prevention Week Information Kit"] (PDF). Media kit. American Association of Suicidology. Retrieved 14 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^[www.doh.state.fl.us/family/socialwork/SPWeekIdeas2008AAS.pdf "National Suicide Prevention Week Information & Media Kit"] (PDF). Campaign media kit. American Association of Suicidology. Retrieved 14 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
