My name is Lisa Klein and I am a documentary filmmaker.

While working on our previous film, Of Two Minds, about people living with bipolar disorder, we learned that suicide is too often an option for people struggling with mental illness. Way too often. But if there ever can be a silver lining to the suicide option, it comes in the form of attempt survivors, people who live to tell their stories. No matter how hard you try to conjure up clues, answers and should haves, all the retrospect in the world cannot take you into the mind of somebody who is willing to die to escape the pain of everyday living.

A suicide attempt survivor can, and will, save lives.

As a survivor of both my father’s and brother’s suicide, I have struggled with the “why”s for years, along with the guilt, shame and confusion that lingers in suicide’s wake. I’ll never know why my dad chose to die. And nobody talked about my brother. My mother could never bring herself to say the words, “My son killed himself.” No mother should have to say that. Ever.

I will probably spend the rest of my life searching for reasons that I can live with. Even though I know that I will never find them. But the insights that we all can gain from those who have stood on the precipice, those who are still there, are worth so much.

And yet …

… that word.

That word, “suicide,” that brings conversations to a halt and evokes primal fears of the darkest of all human experiences. But speaking the word itself is not the problem. The silence that so often follows is.

Our documentary, The S Word,  tackles one of the most unfathomable and cloistered issues of our time by exploring suicide from many points of view. We’ve talked to scientists, clinicians and advocates, yet have focused primarily on the intimate voices of those with lived experience – both attempt and loss survivors – and their loved ones.

Many have not only survived, they have courageously turned their experiences into strength and hope in the struggle toward suicide prevention. Speaking with this range of people has provided perspectives, emotions and academic reasoning in a personal way. It puts a human face on this very painful, yet potentially hopeful, topic.

Several members of our filmmaking team have been touched by suicide in some way as well, either as attempt survivors themselves or through family members they have lost. We all have experienced the deafening silence that accompanies the S word. We don’t want to hear that any more.

Since premiering The S Word at the AAS Conference in 2017, we have had the opportunity to screen it at hundreds of venues around the world – including college campuses, high schools, film festivals, mental health and civic organizations. Aside from the U.S., the film has screened in Lithuania, Malaysia, Indonesia and Canada. So far.

Both The S Word and Of Two Minds are currently being distributed educationally by Good Docs and will be available via streaming within the year. 

There is no more highly charged and personal issue for me, and for that reason we have expanded beyond the film by highlighting stories on our website. We filmed over 300 hours of footage, and once I realized that was too long for a movie we launched a series of one-minute videos entitled S Word Stories – stories that reach beyond the film.

And I want to acknowledge the  American Association of Suicidology for opening their doors to us and introducing us to many of the people who are now in our film. The interviews and the panels we shot there are so vivid that we were faced with way too many editorial choices, particularly for somebody as indecisive as myself. Hence, The S Word Stories.

It is way past time for our society to boldly talk about suicide because no family should have to experience that which radiates outward for generations to come. We will continue to blow the doors off the gallery of secrets and open the conversation, extinguishing the shame and silence that has clung to suicide for way too long.

That’s why we made the film. That’s why we continue to show it. That’s why we want to meet as many people as we can who are living through this, every day.

I’m not going to pretend that there aren’t a lot of tragic stories, because the reality is that losing somebody to suicide is the worst thing ever, from my experience. However, saving lives through really effective suicide prevention, that’s world-changing stuff that so many of you in the suicide prevention community have been working toward for decades.

We are so honored to be part of that.

Thank you.

Press contact: Chris Maxwell, Communications Coordinator

Washington, D.C. (August 23, 2019): Following last year’s incredibly popular #AAS365 campaign, The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) announced today that its campaign to recognize National Suicide Prevention Month and Week will again focus on awareness and education every day of the year. For this year’s campaign, AAS has collaborated with several large, national agencies ranging from veterans groups, and law enforcement agencies, to celebrities, legislators, and documentary filmmakers. AAS is especially excited to collaborate with Rachel Bloom, creator and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, to help amplify the message of suicide prevention.

 “The amazing people at the AAS are working hard to both change and save lives and I’m honored to help their cause in any way that I can,” said Rachel Bloom.

By focusing on suicide prevention during the 365 days of every year, AAS is empowering the nearly 7 million people directly affected by suicide annually, the 1.5 million who attempt suicide each year, and the tens of millions impacted by it, to continue to advocate for its prevention, collaborate for effective change, and produce impactful, peer-created content all year long. #AAS365 is about giving  the power of resiliency and healing back to loss and attempt survivors, families, friends, and loved ones, allowing them to directly participate in changing the culture around suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. 

“The scale and reach of suicide is too large to ignore any longer – at local, regional, and national levels,”said Colleen Creighton, Executive Director of AAS. “Nearly every state in the country has seen increases in the number of suicides in the last two decades. We’ve spent too much time neglecting an overburdened system and it’s time to address the crisis knocking on our front door.”

Suicide killed over 47,000 people in 2017 in the United States, is the 10th leading cause of death nationally, and is the 2nd leading cause of death for youth aged 10-24. 

Confirmed Events Scheduled for September:

The #AAS365 campaign site features resources for suicide prevention groups, organizations, and media professionals across the country, encouraging them to participate in National Suicide Prevention Month activities. There are shareable social media graphics and a section to post information about local activities.

For the Media: Responsible reporting on suicide, including stories of hope and resilience, can prevent more suicides. Please visit the Suicide Reporting Recommendations for more information.

About AAS: Founded in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, AAS promotes the research of suicide and its prevention, public awareness programs, public education and training for professionals and volunteers. The membership of AAS includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center volunteers, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of lay persons who have in interest in suicide prevention.

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American Association of Suicidology Urges Congress to Fund Crisis Services at Scale

Contact: Chris Maxwell, Communications Coordinator

Washington, D.C. (August 15, 2019) – The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) applauds the FCC for its work and recommendations to proceed with the unique, 988 three-digit telephone code for mental health and suicide prevention services. It is now time to ensure these services are properly standardized and funded at the scale of the problem. Nearly 7 million people are directly affected by suicide every year, with almost 1.5 million people attempting suicide in that same timeframe. These are rates that require solid infrastructure to adequately and compassionately address the demand.

“Today we are thankful to the Federal Communications Commission for their recognition that now is the time for a nationwide three-digit phone line for mental health and suicide prevention crisis,” said Becky Stoll, LCSW, AAS Crisis Center Division Chair, and Vice President, Crisis & Disaster Management at Centerstone. “Now we turn to our colleagues in Congress for further conversation on this issue including funding. Having this number in the United States will surely help in making great strides to break down the walls of stigma around mental health issues.”

Over the years, we’ve seen the current system struggle to adequately fund crisis centers, both at a regional level, and during surges in demand (e.g. celebrity suicides). Smaller crisis centers, still answering thousands of calls a year, are quietly closing their doors.

“The life-and-death nature of these services demand that a client-centric, population-based funding model be put in place in all states to ensure high-quality crisis services have sustainable funding for 24/7/365 availability and call volume surges,” said Anthony Wood, AAS Board Chair.

Likewise, it is imperative that crisis centers answering the 3-digit crisis telephone number must adhere to evidence-based policies, protocols, and staff/volunteer training like those that meet the minimum of AAS’s Crisis Center accreditation.

“We wouldn’t ask 911 operators or first responders to do their jobs with insufficient tools and resources,” said Travis Atkinson, AAS Crisis Center Committee Chair. “Crisis Center staff are commissioned to perform a very serious task–support people who are suicidal or in severe emotional distress. We owe it to them to provide supreme support through funding and resources to encourage their ongoing sustainability.”

Additionally, the public has a minimal expectation for crisis services to evolve beyond the analog system currently in place to include revolutionary digital technologies focused on security, privacy, and reliability. These features must be included in future iterations of national crisis intervention and suicide prevention infrastructure.

For the Media: Responsible reporting on suicide, including stories of hope and resilience, can prevent more suicides. Please visit the Suicide Reporting Recommendations for more information.

About AAS: Founded in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, AAS promotes the research of suicide and its prevention, public awareness programs, public education and training for professionals and volunteers. The membership of AAS includes mental health and public health professionals, researchers, suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers, school districts, crisis center volunteers, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of lay persons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.

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