EVENTS

MENTAL HEALTH Awareness Events

Learn about the various days, weeks, and months that are dedicated to raising awareness for many mental health topics throughout the year.
Upcoming Events

National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

National Recovery Month

National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month

September 8
National 988 Day 

September 8-14
National Suicide Prevention Awareness Week 

September 10
World Suicide Prevention Day

Featured Event: SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH

Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. Suicidal thoughts, although common, should not be considered normal and often indicate more serious issues.

September is Suicide Prevention Month — a time to raise awareness of this urgently important crisis. We use this month to shift public perception, spread hope and share vital information to people affected by suicide. Our goal is ensuring that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help.

A group of people walking on the sidewalk.

CRISIS RESOURCES

Need more information, referrals or support? Contact the NAMI HelpLine.

DOWNLOAD KIT

NAMI has created this toolkit to support their State Organizations and Affiliates, partners and ambassadors, and other mental health champions in an effort to promote Suicide Prevention Month. We encourage you to use these resources in your own promotion and awareness efforts.

Join us in shifting the mental health culture through conversation. Download their toolkit for more insights and resources on how to spread awareness.

Download Toolkit

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Throughout September, we invite you to share nAMI'S our messages below or your own about Suicide Prevention Month through the power of courageous community conversations. Help us amplify the message that there is strength in vulnerability.

Don’t forget to tag us at @NAMICommunicate on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) and @NAMI on TikTok, LinkedIn, and Facebook. And be sure to use the hashtag #SuicidePreventionMonth in your posts.

In every post, please add language or a reply comment providing information to 988. This can include but is not limited to:

  • Call, text, or chat 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor offering support 24/7/365.

Platforms

Weekly/daily activations will be taking place on NAMI’s social media channels. Follow NAMI to tune in, repost, retweet, and share: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube

Hashtag

#SuicidePreventionMonth

URL: nami.org/suicidepreventionmonth

Sample Social Media Captions

  • If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, immediate help is available. Call, text, or chat 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor offering support 24/7/365. #SuicidePreventionMonth
  • As we share our mental health journeys – the good, the bad, and the ugly – we begin to let down our walls and create safe spaces. Join me in fostering open conversations. #SuicidePreventionMonth
  • Let’s create spaces where people can prioritize their mental health, where their voices are heard, where support thrives and flows freely, and where healing can take root. #SuicidePreventionMonth
  • It’s #SuicidePreventionMonth – if you are struggling, there are options available to help. Call or text #988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, to speak to someone and get immediate support.
  • #SuicidePreventionMonth provides a dedicated time to come together with passion and strength to address this difficult topic. We can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health and suicide, because just one conversation can change a life.
  • Starting a conversation can help save a life. Studies show people who are having thoughts of suicide feel relief when someone asks about them in a caring way. Learn more about how to help support someone you care about through a crisis at nami.org/suicidepreventionmonth.

While suicide prevention is important to address year-round, Suicide Prevention Month provides a dedicated time to come together with collective passion and strength to address this difficult topic. The truth is, we can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health conditions and suicide, because just one conversation can change a life.

ADVOCATE

Join our movement to advocate for a better mental health care system by signing up for advocacy alerts and taking action when opportunities arise in your community.

Order "You Are Not Alone for Parents and Caregivers"

In “You Are Not Alone for Parents and Caregivers,” child psychiatrist and NAMI’s Associate Medical Director Dr. Christine M. Crawford provides a comprehensive, compassionate, and practical resource for anyone concerned about a child’s mental health. Drawing on her own clinical experience and guidance from leading experts, Dr. Crawford provides a lens through which to understand the many complex factors affecting children’s mental health. Analyzing young people from preschool to high school, she shares insights into how mental health conditions may manifest at different ages, what kind of interventions may be necessary, and what to do to help kids thrive. Throughout, the book channels the collective wisdom of the NAMI community. Parents, caregivers, and young people themselves share personal stories about their paths to recovery, ensuring readers know that they are not alone.

Order the book via: Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Bookshop.org.

SHARE KEY FAST FACTS

Please feel free to use these facts and others, to encourage discussions with your community through social media or other forms of outreach.

Individual Impact:

  • 79% of all people who die by suicide are male.
  • Although more women than men attempt suicide, men are 4x more likely to die by suicide.
  • Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14, the 3rd leading cause of death among those aged 15-24 and the 12th leading cause of death overall in the U.S.
  • 46% of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition — but research suggests that 90% may have experienced symptoms of a mental health condition.

Community Impact:

  • Annual prevalence of serious thoughts of suicide, by U.S. demographic group:
    • U.S. Adults: 4.8%
    • Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander: 7.4%
    • Mixed/Multiracial: 8.2%
    • American Indian/Alaska Native: 8.5%
    • Young adults aged 18-25: 13%
    • High school students: 22%
    • LGBTQ youth: 41%
  • The highest rates of suicide in the U.S. are among American Indian/Alaskan Natives, followed bynon-Hispanic white people.
  • Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth.
  • Transgender adults are nearly 9x more likely to attempt suicide at some point in their life compared to their peers.
  • Suicide is the leading cause of death for people held in local jails.

Data from CDC, NIMH and other select sources.

OTHER RESOURCES ON SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS 

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

September is National Suicide Prevention Month – a moment that serves as a powerful reminder that there are steps we all must take in looking out for loved ones, the people in our community, and those who have been impacted by this leading cause of death.

It’s time to take one big step together.

Since 2002, millions of people have attended the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s OUT OF THE DARKNESS WALKS in communities across the country, raising awareness and funds that go toward education programs, advocacy efforts, and scientific research that reveals how we can save more lives.

By walking with others, we find comfort in knowing we are not alone, and that we are connected through great purpose to healing and support. So, join us – as parents, neighbors, family members, classmates and colleagues – and find an Out of the Darkness Walk near you, as we all take a step in the right direction: towards HOPE.

Jed Foundation

As we enter Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, The Jed Foundation (JED) is dedicated to breaking the silence and encouraging open, honest conversations about suicide. This September, our It’s OK to Say Suicide campaign is here to remind everyone that talking about suicide can be the first step toward getting help and saving lives.

It’s OK to Say Suicide

If the word “suicide” makes you uncomfortable — whether you’re thinking about it, worried someone you know may be considering it, or just unsure how to talk about it — we want you to know it’s OK to say it. Being able to talk about suicide can open the door for people to get the help they need.

Our It’s OK to Say Suicide landing page offers a comprehensive set of resources to support these crucial conversations. Here’s what you’ll find:

  • Educational resources: Learn how to recognize the signs of suicide, understand risk factors, and explore protective measures. Knowledge is a powerful tool in suicide prevention.
  • Video stories: Watch the documentary “Each and Every Day,” in which nine young adults share how talking about suicide and asking for help saved their lives.
  • Actionable steps: Access practical advice on how to start conversations about suicide, seek help, and support others.

You can also explore their crisis resources page for more information and options for support. 

SAMHSA 

September is National Suicide Prevention Month – a time to remember the lives lost to suicide, acknowledge the millions more who have experienced suicidal thoughts, and the many individuals, families and communities that have been impacted by suicide. It’s also a time to raise awareness about suicide prevention and share messages of hope.

During September, and throughout the year, we can care about suicide prevention; connect to community, culture, data, and research; and collaborate with others to address this public health problem that has impacted millions of Americans. Learn more here.