Suicide Prevention Has Reached a Tipping Point in America

AFSP will prevent suicide, and like our mission, we will save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. We pause in memory -- then we will go back to work.
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I lost my younger brother to suicide 23 years ago. At 40 years old, he was an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, and suffering from a severe mid-life depression. He had a degree in Criminal Justice in addition to a law degree, was fit - he ran the NYC Marathon in 3:37 - and lived on the Upper East Side. When he expressed suicidal thoughts, he was hospitalized. Mike received professional treatment and an outpouring of love and support. Despite our best efforts, he didn't believe in his recovery, remained anxious and severely depressed, and finally, he took his life. We were devastated. Like many families, we had never anticipated being in such an unfamiliar place.

What did we know about suicide? Or about the grief that follows? We sought answers, ways to understand what happened to Mike and our family, and, so important to us, prevent other individuals and families from going through what Mike had experienced and what our family experienced.

My mother found a family support group for survivors of suicide loss whose leader was trained by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Participating in the group, and talking with a therapist, I heard painful stories of loss - but also stories of survival and resilience. I do not recall the names of the individual women and men who were in that group today, but they were my introduction to the family of suicide loss survivors and mental health professionals that I call AFSP today.

When my family found AFSP, it only had four chapters and a "national" office in New York City. I joined the Greater Boston Chapter and met people who understood my family's loss, the effects grief, and in some cases, subsequent depression, have on loss survivors. My mother continued her work in New Jersey, organizing conferences for loss survivors. At AFSP's first national leadership conference in Philadelphia, we met a passionate group of people from other state chapters who were a part of this growing organization. We worked with these volunteers and a small organizing, fundraising and medical staff to develop and implement suicide prevention programs, education and support for loss survivors. We recruited scientists to help choose research to fund and developed clinical training programs.

The more we learned, the harder we pressed ahead. In those early days, fundraising was not easy for suicide prevention. The conversations tended to be brief and difficult. But over the years we began to discover other stories of loss and struggle everywhere: the stigma of talking about mental health and suicide meant people had kept such painful secrets. Learning about AFSP, and joining in its work, opened people to recovery and change. I chaired the Boston Chapter, went to a dozen leadership conferences, and met more people organizing AFSP chapters across the country. Like my family, these families, their friends and those with lived experience found a way to channel our losses and love into a movement that grows every day.

This month, AFSP chartered its 83rd chapter and now has a presence in 50 states. I have the honor of serving as the chair of the national Board of Directors and working with members of the AFSP family across the country. We will all pause for just a moment -- no longer -- to acknowledge this amazing growth for the organization and for the field, then look ahead.

We have set a goal of reducing the suicide rate 20% by 2025. It's an ambitious goal that will require the hearts and minds of every supporter. We will walk -- in our Out of the Darkness Overnight and Community Walks across the country. We will talk -- in state houses and on Capitol Hill to fund essential suicide research. We will overcome the shame that shadows mental health. We will train and educate teachers, clinicians and families to build healthy minds across the lifespan. We will partner with everyone who wants to join with us. We will advocate for people like Michael, and their families.

AFSP will prevent suicide, and like our mission, we will save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. We pause in memory -- then we will go back to work.

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