Suicide Prevention Awareness Month has come to a close, as it does at the end of every September. With each September, hopefully our awareness becomes stronger and our determination more fixed. Any one of us can work to help prevent suicide by watching out for each other, asking how others are doing, reaching out for help ourselves, sharing what we have learned and continuing to become educated.

“Suicide can no longer exist in the shadows,” states a recent social media post from American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Utah (afsputah). “Too many lives have been lost to the silence and shadows, and too many people have felt they had to struggle alone. When we bring conversations about suicide out of the shadows, we create space for healing and support. Hope Grows when we shine a light together.”

In addition to breaking the silence, there are other ways to help. Sharing resources with loved ones is a great start. With these resources, we can find help, support, education and volunteer opportunities.

Call 988

This is simple. Three numbers, just like 911. But, in this case, those numbers will connect the caller or texter with a skilled and compassionate counselor 24 hours a day. There is no cost to use this service. In addition to providing a listening ear and support, counselors will connect callers with local resources, such as the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team right here in Utah County. In case your loved ones don’t know about 988, spread the word.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center, sprc.org, is full of news reports, data, an online library and resources for different states. This is a great website for learning more and looking up information that might help you or a loved one.

NAMI Utah

The National Alliance on Mental Health Utah, namiut.org, is another great site for learning about Utah statistics, trainings and risk factors as well as how to talk about this difficult subject. There are ways to get involved listed on the site as well.

Hope4Utah

Many people think of Hope Squads as a program just for schoolchildren. While this is a suicide prevention program in many schools, the site lists local resources for people of all ages. There is even a Parent Resources section that has lessons for use in families. Check out hope4utah.com to learn more.

AFSP Utah

The America Foundation for Suicide Prevention, afsp.org, has a website that includes local events, volunteer opportunities, programs, education and support for individuals. There is a section that will walk a person through how to talk to individuals who may be in crisis, a section for survivors of suicide loss, self-care information and videos of people offering support and advice.

These are just a few resources to help us all in our fight to prevent suicide, but there are many more out there. We can all work to keep the efforts of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month going on all year.