Hope. As a community of faith, our hope is in God's word, love and faithfulness. Hope keeps us going through tough and challenging times. For people suffering with anxiety, depression or other mental illnesses their hope can get lost.
During September, suicide prevention month, we continue to highlight facts and information to raise awareness.
This year's theme is - be the one: ask, be there, keep them safe, help them stay connected, follow up.
(From NAMI.com):
- It's ok to talk about suicide.
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 in the U.S.
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
- The overall suicide rate in the U.S. has increased by 31% since 2001
- 46% of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition
- 90% of people who die by suicide had shown symptoms of a mental health condition, according to interviews with family, friends and medical professionals (also known as psychological autopsy)
- Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth
- 75% of people who die by suicide are male
- Transgender adults are nearly 12x more likely to attempt suicide than the general population
- Annual prevalence of serious thoughts of suicide, by U.S. demographic group:
- 4.3% of all adults
- 11.0% of young adults aged 18-25
- 17.2% of high school students
- 47.7% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual high school students
If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911 immediately.
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/how-we-can-all-prevent-suicide/
