National
Suicide Prevention Week
 9/10
Monday - Crisis
Lines
9/11
Tuesday - Research
Funding
9/12
Wednesday - Veteran
and Service Member Suicide
Prevention
9/13
Thursday - Mental
Health Parity
Suicide
Resoucre Guide
Suicide
Watch (free monthly update
of suicide related issues.)
Crisis
Lines
Crisis Text Line, 741741
The National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline, or 1-800-273-8255, is a nationwide network of
local, free, and confidential crisis call centers that
provide 24/7 support for individuals in suicidal or
emotional distress. This year, more than 75% of the
Lifeline's crisis centers received flat funding or had their
funding reduced, resulting in local centers having to shut
their doors at a time when they are needed the most. A
recent CDC report shows that suicide rates are continuing to
increase across the country - in half of states, suicide
rates have increased more than 30% since 1999. Increased
funding for the Lifeline is therefore critical to ensure
these lifesaving centers stay open, are properly staffed,
and have the capacity to respond to increasing demand for
their services.
TAKE ACTION by contacting your elected
officials about increasing crisis line funding. Tell them
how important crisis lines are and how access to suicide
prevention resources will save lives.
Research
Funding
Suicide prevention research at the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH) has been flat funded at less than 40
million dollars for the past several years, despite rising
suicide rates across the United States. There is no single
cause of suicide, and suicide risk increases when several
health factors and life stressors converge to create an
experience of hopelessness and despair. To know who is most
at risk and to prevent suicide, scientists need to
understand the role of long-term factors, such as childhood
experiences, as well as more immediate factors like mental
health and recent life events. A down payment of 150
million dollars to NIMH would allow for further
investigation into the circumstances surrounding suicide and
effective prevention and intervention methods and is a
necessary investment for us to make major progress in
lowering the national suicide rate.
TAKE ACTION by urging your elected
officials to increase funding for suicide prevention
research at the National Institute of Mental Health.
Veteran and
Service Member Suicide Prevention
We must support and protect those who defend our country,
including doing everything we can to prevent Service member
and Veteran suicide. Alarmingly, Veterans comprise almost
20% of all suicides in the United States, and we continue to
lose an average of 20 Veterans a day to suicide. Service
members and Veterans may possess unique protective factors
related to their service, such as resilience or a strong
sense of belonging to a unit, but they may also possess risk
factors related to their military service, such as
service-related injury or a recent transition from military
service to civilian life. Seeking help is a sign of
strength, and our Service members and Veterans are entitled
to convenient, quality care that too many are currently not
receiving.
TAKE ACTION by contacting your elected
officials to urge their continued support for Service member
and Veteran suicide prevention programs and services and
access to mental health care.
Mental Health
Parity
On October 3, 2018, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary
of the enactment of the federal Mental Health Parity and
Addiction Equity Act. This legislation sought to equalize
insurance coverage for physical and mental health care
services for people employed by large companies with 50 or
more employees. The subsequent passage of the Affordable
Care Act in 2010 made mental health services an "essential
health benefit" for millions of Americans not previously
covered by the 2008 parity law. Despite enactment of these
2 laws, mental health parity is still not a reality for many
Americans. Federal and state regulators must ensure that
equal access to mental health and substance use coverage is
realized and that insurance companies comply with existing
federal and state parity requirements.
TAKE ACTION by contacting your elected
officials today to remind them that equal access to mental
health and substance use services saves lives.
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