Top 10 Things you can do to help…September 10, 2013 is World Suicide Awareness Day.

10(Easiest) – Go to Suicide Prevention Resource Center, www.sprc.org/basics, and read about suicide in the United States AND listen to testimony from suicide survivors at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website, www.afsp.org/survivorday/watchpreviousprograms/english.

9 – Do an internet search to find out what other community are doing about suicide prevention and think about how those approaches might work in your community AND THEN…

read the story of Garrett Lee Smith at www.jaredstory.com/garrett_smith.html.

8 – Go to http://www.askhys.net/FactSheets and read the depression and suicide fact sheets for 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in your county AND call your county’s health department and ask how many suicides there have been so far in 2013.

7 – Find out if your local school district has an emergency response plan in place that includes a protocol for dealing with a suicide AND find out how this information is shared with school staff.

6 – Talk with emergency responders – police officers firefighters, ambulance drivers and paramedics – about what they do when they are responding to a suicide AND talk with staff at your nearest hospital emergency department about what they do in response to a suicide.

5 – Have a conversation with a co-worker or friend about suicide in your community.

4 – On September 10 talk about suicide in your county, tribe or community. Have volunteers report on their experiences with the previous six items in community meetings.

3 – Customize the Suicide Prevention Week proclamation or tribal resolution for your community and present it to your city or tribal council and ask them to declare September 8-14, 2013 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Week in your community or tribe.

2 – Organize an event like an “Out of the Darkness” walk to build awareness about suicide, or participate in another organization’s suicide prevention awareness event.

1 – Go to www.sprc.org/basics/about-suicide and review the risk factors for suicide. If you can identify these behaviors in your friends, family or yourself…

…please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, (800) 273-TALK (8255).