WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION WEEK GATHERING AND VIGIL
Sunday 9/6 from 5-8pm
Chandler Community Center
A FREE event to connect with mental wellness through resources and activities, concluding with a candlelight vigil to remember those we have lost to suicide. More information on the Vigil tab.
No registration is needed.
https://semicolonsociety.org/events
Suicide remains a critical public health concern for young people in the United States, ranking as a leading cause of death for ages 10 to 34. Key Risk Factors Mental Health Struggles: Early onset of anxiety and clinical depression. Digital Environment: Excessive, unfiltered exposure to social media and cyberbullying. Social and Environmental Pressures: Academic stress, isolation, family problems, and rural isolation dynamics. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. You can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org in the United States and Canada. Stateline.org/2026 excerpt Talking with kids Experts say parents, teachers, coaches, clergy — anyone who interacts with kids — shouldn’t fear talking to them about suicide and mental health, especially if they notice withdrawal, sadness or stress. Jamie Freeny, who was the director of the Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston until earlier this year, said that more elementary schools have started to ask for suicide prevention training. “If the elementary schools are asking for it, that lets me know that there’s a reason,” said Freeny, who now works as a mental health consultant. “It’s very, very sad.” There's this myth that if you talk to kids about suicide, you're going to put the idea in their head. – Lisa Horowitz, visiting professor of child psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has resources for parents or others who frequently interact with kids, including a toolkit called “Talk Saves Lives” that offers guidelines and tips for steering such conversations. Lisa Horowitz, a visiting professor of child psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine and who conducts research for the National Institutes of Health, said many parents tell her they’re afraid to bring the topic up with their kids. “There’s this myth that if you talk to kids about suicide, you’re going to put the idea in their head,” Horowitz said, adding that research shows talking about it can actually help. “If you can detect suicide risk early, like in preteens or even even younger, then you can intervene early, and and then you can prevent a lot of psychiatric disorders that occur in adulthood.”
