Suicide Prevention Month: From One Day to a Movement

What began as a single day of awareness—September 10th, World Suicide Prevention Day—has grown into an entire month dedicated to the cause. Each September, Suicide Prevention Month reminds us of the importance of talking about a subject that is often avoided: suicide. It’s a deeply sensitive issue, but one that affects nearly everyone, whether through personal experience, the loss of a loved one, or the struggles of a friend. By bringing it into the open, we create space for healing, reduce stigma, and remind those who are struggling that they are not alone.

Origins of the Movement

Efforts to prevent suicide in the United States stretch back decades, with public health policy, advocacy, and research gradually shifting the view of suicide from a solely mental health issue to a preventable public health concern. [3]. This movement gained momentum in the mid-20th century, leading to stronger crisis services, a national prevention strategy, and ultimately, the 2008 designation of September as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. [4]. Since then, September has become a time for both remembrance and action, with agencies like SAMHSA and NCTSN offering resources, toolkits, and campaigns that emphasize evidence-based strategies, promote the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and encourage communities to reduce stigma and build resilience. [4], [5]. Despite progress, suicide remains the 10th leading cause of death among U.S. adults and the 2nd among youth ages 10–24, underscoring the importance of continued awareness, compassion, and collective action. [4]

There has been a surge of awareness on the topic of suicide prevention, especially with the rise in social media. Thousands, if not millions of people post their own personal stories, resources, and support using hashtags such as #SuicidePreventionMonth, #MentalHealthMatters, #EndTheStigma, #WSPD, #YouMatter, #SuicideAwareness, and many more. While it is often debated that social media has caused society to become more isolated, it has also allowed individuals with similar struggles to build community and support.

It's the Terror of the Flames

Many people will recognize the name David Foster Wallace as he remains one of the most influential and complex literary voices of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. His writing reflected an almost prophetic awareness of loneliness, addiction, consumerism, and the search for meaning in a culture overloaded with distractions. [2]. Wallace wrote more than just novels; his essays, short stories, and speeches demonstrated his ability to take everyday experiences and expand them into profound meditations on the human condition. [2].

Yet perhaps what continues to resonate most is Wallace’s candid exploration of suffering and depression. In one of his most haunting descriptions, he wrote:

“The so-called ‘psychotically depressed’ person who tries to kill herself doesn’t do so out of quote ‘hopelessness’ or any abstract conviction that life’s assets and debits do not square. And surely not because death seems suddenly appealing. The person in whom Its invisible agony reaches a certain unendurable level will kill herself the same way a trapped person will eventually jump from the window of a burning high-rise. Make no mistake about people who leap from burning windows. Their terror of falling from a great height is still just as great as it would be for you or me standing speculatively at the same window just checking out the view; i.e. the fear of falling remains a constant. The variable here is the other terror, the fire’s flames: when the flames get close enough, falling to death becomes the slightly less terrible of two terrors. It’s not desiring the fall; it’s terror of the flames. And yet nobody down on the sidewalk, looking up and yelling ‘Don’t!’ and ‘Hang on!’, can understand the jump. Not really. You’d have to have personally been trapped and felt flames to really understand a terror way beyond falling.” [1]

This passage, raw and unflinching, illustrates Wallace’s gift for giving language to inner experiences that are otherwise nearly impossible to convey. Wallace’s description of depression and suicidality is often regarded as one of the clearest windows into an experience that many outside of it cannot fully comprehend. By comparing the act of suicide to a person leaping from a burning building, Wallace reframes it not as a matter of weakness, hopelessness, or even desire for death, but as an act of survival in the face of unbearable pain. This metaphor bridges the gap between those who live with depression and those who do not, giving outsiders a visceral way to imagine the impossible choices that come with such suffering.

His words strip away common misconceptions and instead highlight the raw human instinct at the core of suicidality: not a longing for the fall, but an urgent need to escape the flames. In doing so, Wallace allows those untouched by depression to better grasp the gravity of its torment, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding.

David Foster Wallace tragically ended his own life in 2008, but his work and legacy continues to inspire discussions about mental health, empathy and support, and what it means to be fully present in a chaotic world. [2]. There are countless individuals in the world who struggle with mental health, which is why this struggle should not be shoved under the rug. This is a conversation society needs to have and continue having; this is why suicide prevention awareness has extended beyond just one day.

Where to Get Help:

While Suicide Prevention Awareness now has a month dedicated to it, prevention and awareness should extend year round. That is why there are tons of resources available—from those in crisis to the general public, families, and health professionals.

If you or someone is struggling, call/text/chat with someone by contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is free, confidential, and available 24/7.

The Trevor Project is available for youth who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. They offer a variety of resources on their website and have crisis services as well: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ ; call/text 678-678.

Beyond immediate crisis support, the CDC has tons of tools to cope with stress, deal with disasters or trauma, and understand mental health in everyday life. These can be found on their website here: https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/resources/general-resources.html

Remember. There is a reason you are here. There is help. talk with your therapist and reach out using the crisis line 988. Thank you for being here.

~ Courtney, NBFSCG Social Work Intern

References:

[1] Goodreads. (n.d.). “The so-called ‘psychotically depressed’ person who tries to kill herself …” [Quote by David Foster Wallace]. Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/200381-the-so-called-psychotically-depressed-person-who-tries-to-kill-herself Goodreads

[2] Wildhood, M. (2018, September 12). David Foster Wallace: Suicide and the Death of Agency. Mad In America. https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/09/david-foster-wallace-suicide-and-the-death-of-agency/ Mad In America

[3] Office of the Surgeon General (U.S.), & National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. (2022). A brief history of suicide prevention in the United States from 2012 to 2023: National strategy for suicide prevention. In NCBI Bookshelf. U.S. Government. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK604162/ NCBI

[4] National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d.). National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. https://www.nctsn.org/resources/public-awareness/national-suicide-prevention-awareness-month NCTSN

[5] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.). Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.samhsa.gov/about/digital-toolkits/suicide-prevention-month SAMHSA