World Suicide Prevention Day

Noongom (today), September 10, is World Suicide Prevention Day, an awareness day sponsored by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization. According to the WHO, nearly a million people die each year from suicide. Biological, cultural, environmental, psychological, and social factors have an impact on suicide rates. Suicide rates are especially high in Indian Country. Many of us, from all different backgrounds and places, know someone who has committed or who has been impacted by suicide or a suicide attempt.

If you are thinking about killing yourself, about taking your life, about not wanting to live, please call 9-1-1 emergency services, call your health care provider, call a mental health center like Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center, or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Seeking help is not a sign of weakness; it is a tremendous act of courage.

There are lots of suicide prevention resources online:

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: http://www.afsp.org
• Indian Health Service - Suicide Prevention: http://www.ihs.gov/nonmedicalprograms/nspn/
• National Institute of Mental Health - Suicide Prevention: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml
• SAVE: Suicide Awareness Voices of Education: http://www.save.org
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center: http://www.sprc.org
• SPRC - American Indian / Alaska Native Suicide Prevention: http://www.sprc.org/aian
• U.S. Army Suicide Prevention Program: http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/default.asp
• Yellow Ribbon: http://www.yellowribbon.org

For those who have had a loved one die of suicide, there are support groups:

• Alliance of Hope for Suicide Survivors: http://www.allianceofhope.org
• Mayo Clinic - Suicide Grief: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/suicide/MH00048
• Survivors of Suicide: http://www.survivorsofsuicide.com
• Survivors of Suicide Help and Information: http://www.suicidesurvivors.org
• Survivors Road2Healing: http://www.road2healing.com

In addition to the prevention of suicide, noongom is a good day to remember the victims of suicide and their loved ones, to support those who have attempted suicide and lived, to be compassionate to all who struggle with issues that can lead to suicide, and to celebrate life how, when, and where we can.

On a personal note, my favorite blogger (and someone who has also struggled with suicide) Jenny Lawson -- The Bloggess -- has written a deeply touching entry about World Suicide Prevention Day and urges us to talk about what gives us hope, what sustains us and keeps us alive. While suicide has negatively impacted my life and the lives of many friends and family members, I find hope in the love and compassion that people show when others reach out to them, I find strength in the courage of people I know who have been down that road and who have returned to choose life, and I find beauty in each of the amazing people in my life: my past and present students and colleagues who all are brilliant shining stars, my crazy and close-knit family that loves me no matter what, my circles of friends (each of whom has endured heartache and tragedies and has supported me through some of my own), someone very special to me who has been there when I needed to reach out, and some very special four-legged creatures (Chester, Simon, Snoopy, Joe-Joe, Bo, Skippy) who have remind me to find joy in life's little moments.