Welcome everybody to the next entry of The Rainbow We Fly Over! Again, thank you all who have continuously read. I truly value everyone who takes the time to read my entries! Every reader is greatly appreciated, and there is more to come! It’s been such a long time since I wrote for this series, and I am glad to start off by focusing on September which is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month! (Trigger Warning/TW: mentions suicide, self-harm, etc.)
With U.S. Public Health Service funding, the first suicide prevention center was established in 1958. After that, many centers and national organizations dedicated to suicide prevention were established to acknowledge this increasing public health concern. September was recognized as National Suicide Prevention Month in 2008 and used to raise awareness, acknowledge individuals that are affected by suicide, and connect individuals to support and care if they need it. This month is usually recognized using either a yellow or orange ribbon, but there are purple and teal ribbons that represent suicide prevention as well.
Suicidal thoughts like mental health can deeply affect our experience within the world. These thoughts can make it difficult to just be regardless of age, race, gender, income, or background. In some cases, suicidal thoughts can be a result of grief/loss, difficult transitions, unhappiness, or untreated mental health conditions. In order to uplift those who can experience these thoughts, we have to normalize this conversation! Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and almost one million people die by suicide within this world every year. Additionally, there has been a 50% increase in suicide completion among girls and women and an overall 30% increase in suicide completion in the U.S. between 2000 and 2016. Despite the prevalence of suicide within the world and the U.S., a survey demonstrated that 93% of Americans believe that suicide can be prevented.
The truth is, it can be prevented. All of us can contribute to preventing, gaining insight, and spreading awareness of the effects of suicide. Change first begins with us as individuals and this requires us to look into ourselves and how we take up space in this world. As easy as it is to prevent suicide, we can also contribute to the causes of suicide intentionally or not. It is our duty as humans to extend empathy, comfort, and grace toward people. Whether our battles are in your face or behind closed doors, we all have a story filled with both pleasure and pain. And in some cases, more than others. We may not be able to know about each and every battle people go through, but I don’t think that we need to.
We don’t need to be “right” or “correct”, we just need to care.
If you or someone you care about is in need of support:
Suicide & Crisis Hotline: Call or text 988 (24/7)
Warm Lines by the State: Click here
Teens/Young Adults: Call 800-TLC-TEEN (6pm-10pm) or text TEEN to 839863 (6pm-9pm)
Warm text line: Text HOME to 741741
LGBTQ+ community: call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678 (24/7)
~Cheyenne
National Library of Medicine. (2012). Appendix C brief history of suicide prevention in the United States. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK109918/
NAMI. Suicide prevention awareness month (SPAM), https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Suicide-Prevention-Awareness-Month-(SPAM)
National Today. National suicide prevention month - September 2023. https://nationaltoday.com/national-suicide-prevention-month/