
Oak Bluffs has officially proclaimed September as the town’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
The declaration was read into the record by select board chair Emma Green-Beach Tuesday afternoon, after receiving unanimous approval from the board.
The purpose of the designation, supported by the Cape and Islands Suicide Prevention Coalition, is help destigmatize mental health and to raise awareness and visibility of local suicide prevention resources, Green-Beach said.
Citing the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, she said that on average, 132 people die from suicides every day. “Each one, directly impacting around 100 additional people, including friends, service members, family, social media connections, and neighbors,” Green-Beach said.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.
The CDC reports that in 2020, 45,979 people died by suicide in the U.S. In 2021, suicides increased by roughly fi5ve percent — one death every 11 minutes.
This doesn’t include the 12.3 million adults who seriously thought about ending their life, 3.5 million adults who made a plan to do it, and 1.7 million who made an attempt.
Suicide rates for people ages 10 to 24 has increased by 62 percent over the past six years.
Suicide rates increased 37 percent between 2000 and 2018, according to CDC stats. After a slight decrease in suicidal events from 2018 to 2020, rates have nearly returned to their peak.
With a rate of 9.5 percent per 100,000 people in the state, suicide is considered a preventable public health problem in Massachusetts.
“Join us in helping destigmatize mental health, and take proactive action toward suicide prevention,” Green-Beach quoted from the proclamation. “We seek to raise awareness and visibility of mental health and suicide prevention resources in our community and help connect individuals with the appropriate support services.
“We encourage all residents to take time to understand mental health and education, and recognize that we need to take care of our mental health while we take care of each other.”
The purpose of the designation, supported by the Cape and Islands Suicide Prevention Coalition, is help destigmatize mental health and to raise awareness and visibility of local suicide prevention resources, Green-Beach said.
Wont it be a wonderful world when every day/month/year has this designation and it doesn’t take a proclamation to bring it to the forefront!
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