Friday, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, Sunday September 5-11 is National Suicide Prevention Week and the entire month of September is recognized as Suicide Prevention Month. Please join us in our collective effort with other organizations and coalitions around the globe to raise awareness about the actions we can all take to prevent suicide.

In Illinois, suicide is the 11^th leading cause of death claiming more than 1,000 deaths each year. For young adults ages 15 to 34, suicide is the 3^rd leading cause of death in Illinois(IDPH).

Suicide is recognized as a chronic epidemic. Despite the overwhelming numbers, the tragedy of suicide is hidden by stigma, myth and shame. The stigma surrounding suicide often has an impact on prevention and intervention efforts. Additionally, many people have mistaken the notion that talking about suicide causes it to happen, but experts say that suicide is preventable.