CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan presented a Mayoral Proclamation Tuesday, September 1 declaring September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in Clarksville. The proclamation as presented to members of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network’s Montgomery, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart County Suicide Prevention Task Force.
In Tennessee, an estimated 900 men, women, and children die by suicide each year. More people die by suicide each year than from homicide, AIDS, or drunk driving. Suicide is the leading cause of violent deaths in our state, nationally, and worldwide, far above homicide and death due to natural disasters.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among youth and young adults ages 15-24 in Tennessee and for the United States at large. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, there were 945 recorded suicide deaths in our state in 2014, at a rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people.
In almost all cases, suicide can be traced to unrecognized, untreated, or poorly treated mental illness. It can happen to people of either sex, any race or ethnicity, and any economic status. The average suicide death leaves behind six survivors—family and friends of the deceased—all of who are at increased risk for a suicide attempt themselves.
The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN) and its allies in the public health, mental health, and social service fields are joining forces to recognize the month of September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. During this annual observance, TSPN and its allies arrange several educational and memorial events across Tennessee.
These projects help teach the general public about the problem of suicide and how it can be prevented. They also give us an opportunity to remember those lost to suicide; to encourage survivors of suicide, survivors of suicide attempts, and people who have triumphed over mental illness; and to recognize individuals who have made notable contributions to suicide prevention efforts in our state. A full list of these events is available on the TSPN website’s “News” section (http://tspn.org/archives/861).
Additional information about Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is available from the TSPN central office at (615) 297-1077 or tspn@tspn.org.