44,965. That’s the number of Americans that are estimated to take their life this year. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and experts say that the number of suicides is climbing.

September 9th through the 15th is National Suicide Prevention Week. To help spread awareness and tear down stigma in your communities, we’ve compiled a list of resources and ways that you can get involved and make a difference.

National Organizations

Let’s start by looking at the national organizations. These groups have a vast amount of resources and materials to help your funeral home start spreading a public awareness group.

American Association of Suicidology (AAS)

The AAS website offers several ways to get involved, including:

• A free 2018 Suicide Prevention infographic
• A webstore that has resources such as presentation materials and suicide prevention products
• Workshops to help educate yourself on warning signs and risk factors
• A guide to hosting a suicide prevention and awareness event
• And much more, click here to see their full resource offerings.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

The AFSP is another great resource. Here are a few of the resources they currently offer:

• Find a local walk to prevent suicide and raise awareness near you
• Donate to the #StopSuicide campaign
• Share the @800273TALK number to people in your community
• Learn how to create a memory quilt
• Get shareable resources and infographics to use across your social media network
• And much more, click here to see their full resource offerings.

National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI)

NAMI offers an array of online resources and also has local offices across the country. Below are some of the resources they offer:

• Guides on how to be prepared for a crisis and learning the warning signs
• Ways to share your own story
• Ideas on how to start a mental health discussion in your community
• Graphics, facts, and statistics that you can share to spread awareness
• A guide to creating a local fundraising campaign
• And more ways you can be an advocate for mental health in your community.

Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE)

SAVE’s mission is about developing and delivering safe suicide prevention messaging. They offer several ideas on how to start and spread an awareness campaign in your community. Some resources include:

• Join one of SAVE’s major community campaign initiatives
• Start your own SAVE public awareness event
• Join a SAVE National Outreach Network
• Become SAVE certified
• And much more, click here to see SAVE’s full resource offerings.

Hotline and Crisis Numbers

We’ve also compiled a list of crisis hotlines that you can share both online and in your community.

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255, then Press 1
• The Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741-741
• The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

Supporting Those Who’ve Lost a Loved One To Suicide

To support those in your community directly affected by suicide, start a suicide support group. Support groups are a place for those impacted by a suicide to seek comfort, share memories of their loved one, learn ways to honor their memory and start a healthy healing journey. To get started check out our guide here.