Suicide rates in the United States have been increasing dramatically since 2006.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is one suicide every 12.8 minutes in the United States, which equals more than 101 completed suicides daily. It is also important to understand that there are at least 6 people directly affected by each suicide, and these individuals are suicide survivors.
The Clearfield/Jefferson Suicide Prevention and Awareness Team is sponsoring the Annual International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day program to be held Nov. 21, from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The program is provided through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and will be held at the Penn Highlands Brookville Education Conference Center.
At hundreds of local gatherings on six continents, survivors of suicide loss gather together to remember their loved ones and offer each other support. This event helps these individuals to feel a sense of community, to promote healing and to connect with others that have had similar experiences. It helps survivors to realize that they are not alone in their experience of grief.
Check in will begin at 11:30 a.m. with lunch (provided) at 12 p.m. The program will start at 12:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Debbie Michuck, suicide survivor and chairperson of the Clearfield-Jefferson Suicide Prevention Team Survivor’s Committee.
At 1 p.m., the 30-minute DVD from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will be shown. This year’s DVD is entitled: Family Journeys: Healing and Hope After a Suicide.
The DVD features the personal stories and advice of other suicide survivors and psychiatric professionals. This will be followed by a period of group discussion.
For more information, go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Web site at www.afsp.org and look under the heading: Coping with Suicide.
Walk-ins are welcome but pre-registration will greatly help with planning. Pre-registration for the event can be done by e-mailing Nancy Florio, community relations coordinator for the Penn Highlands Brookville Behavioral Health Services, at nlflorio@phhealthcare.org or by registering at www.afsp.org.