Everyone Has a Role to Play in Preventing Suicide: What is Yours?
Written By: Pamela Hyde, SAMHSA Administrator
Every day nearly 100 Americans die by suicide, and even higher is the number of people who contemplate suicide. A study released this year by SAMHSA found that 8.6 million American adults experienced serious thoughts of suicide within the past 12 months. Among children ages 14-18, 2.9 million had serious thoughts of suicide.
Suicide is a public health issue that touches the lives of millions of people across the nation, and each of us has a role to play in preventing it in our own communities.
On Monday, September 10, at 10 a.m. EDT, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and the U.S. Surgeon General will release the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention to address the complex issue of suicide prevention, and we at SAMHSA are proud to support this initiative. A joint public-private effort, the revised strategy presents research, resources, and goals that will guide federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector, in preventing suicide across the United States.
Health experts and national leaders from top government agencies and private organizations will join me to discuss the complexity of suicide in America and how we, as a nation, can work together to prevent it. The following officials will join me in speaking at the event:
- Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Gordon Smith, President of the National Association of Broadcasters and former U.S. Senator
- Scott Gould, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- John McHugh, Secretary of the Army
- Marne Levine, Global Vice President of Public Policy, Facebook
- Heyward Donigan, President and CEO, ValueOptions
- Regina M. Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General
- Pamela Hyde, Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
The event will be live streamed through a webcast available at http://actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/NSSP/livestream, and I hope that you will tune in. We each have a role to play, and together we can make real progress in preventing suicide.
