The Washington Post (7/26, Wan) reports that up until fairly recently, “the suicide prevention movement has been largely driven by family and friends of those who died.” In the past five years, however, “as suicide rates have climbed to historic levels, survivors of suicide attempts have been ‘coming out,’ determined to combat the problem even if it means speaking out about their own, often-hidden pasts.” This “has transformed the suicide prevention world.” For example, “researchers trying to understand suicide, who previously focused on post-mortem data and environmental factors, are starting to embrace the relatively new idea of reaching out to people who experienced it directly.” Meanwhile, mental health “advocates are harnessing those voices to raise awareness of suicide as a public health issue and win sorely needed funding and attention.”
Related Links:
— “Once they hid their stories. But now, survivors of suicide are ‘coming out’ to combat a national crisis., “William Wan, The Washington Post, July 26, 2019