September 5th-11th is National Suicide Prevention Week here in the United States. In recent years it has been advertised more heavily, though I still primarily see advertisements directed at mental health professionals rather than the general public. I find this odd because most mental health professionals have some knowledge of the signs and statistics while many people in the general public do not.
Suicide is an often taboo subject in our current culture. It is rare someone openly discusses this epidemic and I believe this leads to a reduction in people recognizing signs and seeking help. Most all of the clients I work with have a history of at least suicidal thoughts, if not suicide attempts. The reality is that talking about suicide is important.
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