Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
September 2021
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we hope to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention while celebrating life and promoting hope. While suicide prevention is important to address year-round, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month provides a dedicated time to come together to talk about suicide. Suicide prevention efforts seek to reduce factors that increase the risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior, and increase the factors that help strengthen, support, and protect individuals from suicide.
Use the Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Social Media Toolkit (Word) and the Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Email Toolkit (Word) for messages to edit and share with your community.
All organizations and people are invited to use the toolkit. Service organizations, nonprofit organizations, businesses, local health departments, faith-based organizations, and schools can all join in.
Things you can do:
- Take a moment to program Minnesota’s crisis resources into your phone and encourage those you know to do the same. That way you’ll have them ready if you, or someone you know, needs help. Free confidential help is available 24/7.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Call 1-800-273-8255
- Crisis Text Line – text MN to 741741
- Your local mobile crisis number. Find your county mobile crisis number at the Department of Human Services website, Minnesota Mobile Mental Health Crisis Services.
- Attend the next Suicide Prevention Webinar series presented by The Suicide Prevention Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health. Upcoming topics include:
- August 25 - 2 p.m. Suicide Prevention and Tribal Communities - Luther Talks
- Sept 15 - 1-3 p.m. Change the Narrative on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention - Kelly Felton
- October 19 - 2 p.m. Suicide Prevention and the Faith Community - Glen Bloomstrom
- November 16 - 2 p.m. Veteran Populations and Suicide Prevention - Brittany Miskowiec
- Dec 8 - 1 p.m. Mental Health and Well-being - Anna Lynn
- Take a training on suicide prevention, like those offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Minnesota
- Learn the warning signs of suicide, and know how to respond, and where to get help.
- Join a mental health support group National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Minnesota hosts several free virtual and in-person support groups.
- Share safe messaging around suicide prevention (PDF), and promote help seeking, support, and prevention.
Share suicide prevention messages on social media. Use the hashtag #YouMatterMN to follow along.
