September, just a few days away, is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

According to nationaldaycalendar.com, “Everyone is affected by suicide, not just the victim. Suicide impacts family and friends long after the loss of a loved one. On average, one person commits suicide every 16.2 minutes. Two-thirds of the people who commit suicide suffer from depression.”

It continues, “One way to help prevent suicide is to increase access to treatment for depression. However, identifying depression can be difficult. Not all people who suffer from depression show signs. The first step in identifying someone who is suffering from depression and contemplating suicide is to see how serious the issue is. Talking to the person involved and asking about their thoughts will decrease the trigger of suicidal action. Suggesting a counselor or treatment for depression might also help. Often, people who are depressed need a caring friend. A common fallacy is that people who talk about suicide never act on it. If a friend or loved one is talking about suicide, it’s time to get help for that person.”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website has this to say: “We use this month to reach out to those affected by suicide, raise awareness and connect individuals with suicidal ideation to treatment services. It is also important to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention. NAMI is here to help.”

According to Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board (CSAB), this major public health problem has far-reaching personal, social, and economic implications. Despite increased awareness, research, funding and national agendas, suicide deaths have been rising, without pause, since 1999.

It is that time of the year to highlight the tools that are out there to help people get through the dark times.

According to the Connecticut Office of the Medical Examiner, there were 353 suicides in 2023, including 31 suicides in the age range of 10 to 24.

Today, deaths by suicide outnumber those by both homicide and motor vehicle accidents, and suicide is still robbing us of some of our most promising young people.

For every suicide death, CSAB points out we lose the unique gifts of the individual who has died. But its ripple effect has a broad impact across space and time — every suicide creates dozens of loss survivors, who suffer immense pain and complex grief, and are at greater risk of suicide themselves.

While the massive promotion behind the 2022 launch of 988 as the national emergency suicide prevention hotline has made a measurable impact connecting those most desperate with help, here in Newtown we should all play a role by making our loved ones, friends, and especially our teens and college age children aware they are never alone in their deepest sorrow. Newtown Health District offers multiple resources on its online page. Visit newtown-ct.gov/newtown-health-district, then click on Community Health within the blue banner on the left side of the page, and then click on the Behavioral and Mental Health tab.

CSAB advises anyone to call 911 or 988 when you hear or see someone threatening to hurt or kill themselves; looking for ways to kill themselves such as seeking access to pills, weapons, or other means; and/or talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide.

Readers can also call 211 or 988 should you witness, hear, or see someone exhibiting hopelessness, rage, or anger; seeking revenge; acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking; feeling trapped — like there’s no way out; or increasing alcohol or drug use. Also look for those withdrawing from friends, family, or society, and those exhibiting anxiety, agitation, an inability to sleep or sleeping all the time, dramatic mood changes, no reason for living and/or no sense of purpose in life.

If you or someone you know is in mental health distress or is thinking of suicide, please call or text 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat 988lifeline.org. And in an emergency, call or text 911.