September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. National Suicide Prevention Week is September 5 – 11, 2021, with World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th. Throughout the month, and especially during the week of September 5, individuals and organizations around the country have plans to highlight the problem of suicide and advocate its prevention.

Suicide is a national health problem and currently ranks as the second leading cause of death for ages 10-45. Suicide is also one of the most preventable types of death in our nation. It’s one of the fastest-growing epidemics around the world — approximately 44,000 people in the U.S. alone commit suicide each year. 

Originally established in 1979 as a support group by family members of individuals diagnosed with mental illness, the National Alliance on Mental Illness is a United States-based organization that serves as a resource on this highly taboo topic.

NAMI helps those affected by suicide, assists with sourcing effective treatment services, and raises awareness for educating others on its prevention.