According to the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), each year more than 800,000 people die by suicide and up to 25 times as many make a suicide attempt. September 10th is the 15th annual World Suicide Prevention Day, and the theme for 2017 is “Take a minute, change a life”.
IASP points out that “regardless of the circumstances, communities have an important role to play in supporting those who are vulnerable”.
The Massachusetts Coalition for suicide prevention has organized ten regional suicide prevention coalitions, and The Plymouth County Suicide Prevention Coalition (PCSPC) is one of them.
OCES is a member of PCSPC. PCSPC is an important resource for those who struggle, their families and friends. PCSPS has three main focus points: prevention, intervention, and awareness.
You can follow PCSPS on Facebook, or read more at www.plymouthcountyspc.org as well as www.iasp.info/wspd2017. Information is also available at www.MassPreventsSuicide.org.
To mark Suicide Prevention Day, people are encouraged to turn on a candle near a window at 8 pm to show support for suicide prevention, to remember a lost loved one, and for the survivors of suicide.