This September—Take Action to Promote Hope and Prevent Suicide

EDC’s vision is to achieve a world free from suicide. To observe National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, National Suicide Prevention Week, and World Suicide Prevention Day, we are offering events, tips, and tools to help you take action to build resilience and prevent suicide.

“We’ve learned from public opinion polls that most people know suicide is preventable and want to help those in their lives who are struggling,” says Elly Stout, director of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) at EDC. “So our focus should be on empowering people to play a role in preventing suicide in their communities.”

Stay Informed, Take Action

1. Check out these resources from SPRC:

• Suicide Prevention Month: Ideas for Action
• Resources to Support Mental Health and Coping with the Coronavirus
• Black Lives Matter in Suicide Prevention
• Online courses, webinars, and other virtual learning experiences
• Weekly Spark: Sign up to stay informed after September ends

2. Find tips in these resources from the Zero Suicide Institute at EDC

• “Supporting a Family Member Who Is a Health Care Worker”
• “Supporting the Children and Teens of Health Care Workers”

3. Join these events:

• September 1 – #BeThere Twitter Chat (2 p.m. ET): Join the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance). In addition, help us celebrate the Action Alliance’s 10th anniversary and find out more about the National Response to COVID-19.
• September 10 – Webinar (4–5 p.m. ET): “Preventing Suicide and Self-Harm Among Black Youth:”
  • Register now for this Children’s Safety Network event with Crystal Barksdale (National Institute of Mental Health) and Rhonda Boyd (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia).
  • Sign up for CSN’s newsletter to receive a link to the recording.

4. Support the collective messaging effort of the Action Alliance and its partners. Throughout September (and year-round), you can:

• Use our e-blast messaging guidance series to ensure your messaging efforts promote help, hope, and resiliency:
  • eblast #1: Developing Effective and Safe Messaging for Suicide Prevention Month
  • eblast #2: Highlighting the Role of All Americans
  • eblast #3: #BeThere Resources and AI/AN Hope for Life Day (September 10)

• Use #BeThere and #SPM20 on Twitter to educate the public about the many ways to support individuals in crisis.
• Sign up to receive updates from the Action Alliance.

5. Follow us on Twitter (EDC, SPRC, Action Alliance, Zero Suicide Institute, and Children’s Safety Network) throughout the month for ideas and activities.

6. Learn more about EDC’s work in suicide prevention.