WASHINGTON/BOSTON – Dec. 8, 2021 – The American Association of Suicidology has accredited Beacon Health Options for crisis programs, which confirms the behavioral health services company is delivering quality services in operating national crisis lines. Crisis accreditation is a requirement to serve as an answer point for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and 988, the country’s new behavioral health 911 that launches in July, 2022.
“AAS is especially proud to be part of the official 988 accreditation,” said Dr. Adam Walsh, Interim Executive Director of AAS. “The creation of the new three-digit number – the mental health version of 911 – is crucial to achieving parity for mental and physical health. We don’t require someone having a heart attack to have memorized a 10-digit number and we shouldn’t expect the same for someone having a mental health crisis.”
Beacon, responsible for crisis lines in six states, is one of a handful of health insurers to have earned the designation. Beacon earned the accreditation by meeting or exceeding criteria in multiple areas, including 24/7 crisis call response, community education and rescue services.
“I congratulate Beacon Health Options on receiving Crisis Center Certification from the American Association of Suicidology,” said former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, founder of The Kennedy Forum. “With the new three-digit mental health crisis number (988) available on all phones nationwide by next July, it’s more important than ever that providers meet nationally recognized standards.”
The AAS accreditation confirms for people in crisis, as well as local and state governments funding crisis programs, that Beacon’s programs are developed and delivered based on nationally recognized standards for care during crisis.
“We’re dedicated to suicide prevention and believed it was key for AAS, a nonprofit group with the utmost credibility in crisis, to ensure we are operating within best practice standards for the health and safety of our callers,” said Wendy Farmer, national crisis leader for Beacon Health Options. “We know from our own State of the Nation’s Mental Health Report based on 2020 data that there was a big disconnect between the escalated mental health distress from the pandemic and the number of people who were actually getting help. This creates an environment where people are more susceptible to crisis and we want to make sure we’re best prepared to help.”
AAS’ analysis also assesses Beacon programs for telephone response, ethics, records security, confidentiality, advertising and promotional materials. The accreditation allows Beacon to grow its crisis programs by using AAS criteria for systematic, ongoing evaluation until it is time for the organization to re-evaluate Beacon.
“What we especially look for in our review is whether crisis specialists answering calls have the cultural competency training to understand the needs of people from backgrounds other than their own,” said Chris Sandwell, AAS Manager of Crisis Services Accreditation & Certification. “We found that Beacon puts a great deal of effort on cultural competency and does an excellent job at providing appropriate training and seeking input to help its services evolve. This is especially important as the most recent CDC data from 2020 shows that suicide is disproportionately affecting communities of color.”
About 988
In July 2022, 988 will roll out as the new, nationwide, easy-to-remember 3-digit phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, linked to the current phone number of 1-800-273-TALK (8255). 988 will be the mental health version of 911 and support phone and chat services. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and consists of a network of local crisis centers across the country.
The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization. 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 professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.
About Beacon Health Options
Beacon Health Options is a leading behavioral health services company serving one out of six people across all 50 states. We work with employers, health plans and government agencies to support mental health and emotional wellbeing, crisis and foster care, substance use disorder recovery, and employee health programs that improve the health and wellness of people every day. Our multi-modal, insights driven approach allows us to integrate social, behavioral and physical health solutions to drive improved outcomes for everyone we serve. By collaborating with a network of providers in communities around the country, we help individuals live their lives to the fullest potential. For more information, visit www.beaconhealthoptions.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/beaconhealthoptions, www.twitter.com/beaconhealthopt and www.linkedin.com/company/beacon-health-options.
Some find advocacy work as a result of an enlightenment they had somewhere along the way. Some instance where something touched them so deeply it created a spark that held them to a need for change. Others fall into advocacy work as a result of a life experience. I am the latter of the two. I did not plan a life of advocacy; my spark wasn’t ignited by an enlightenment. My spark was ignited by a very deep and confusing loss.
Almost four years ago, I lived a life that was not perfect, but it was good. I had what I needed and was what I valued most in my life: a mother. I won’t oversimplify things and say my life was without challenges because I had many along the way. However, all my challenges, all my difficulties would pale in comparison to what I would soon experience. What I didn’t know then was that I would experience unimaginable pain, loss, confusion, and sorrow and all that combined would catalyze me into what I now consider my life’s purpose.
On January 7, 2018, I lost my firstborn son to suicide. His loss was the final swan song that came after years of battling mental illness. In one abrupt moment, the years of chaos and confusion were gone. In an instant, my life became divided into two books: before and after.
What is a mother or rather a woman who had known no other life than being a mother first to do when the very foundation she stood on shook uncontrollably? I had been a mother since I was 17 years old. Not only was it the most important thing in my life but it also defined me. By definition, I was still a mother, the mother of two. That number always seemed odd to me because that was not my number, my number was three. The complexity of that alone was difficult to wrap my head around. I remember sitting in that ICU waiting room, not quite understanding what was happening. I didn’t understand where we had gone wrong, but I knew that in the blink of an eye we had become a statistic. I believe our family knew instantly that something needed to be done to prevent similar tragedies and so Tony’s Tribe was born.
Over the last few years, we have worked diligently to advocate and work towards suicide prevention and awareness. Through our work, we realized that were not alone, that many other families were dealing with loved ones who experienced mental health concerns, had suicidal experiences, were practicing self-harm, were openly speaking about suicide and in some cases were attempting suicide as well. So that’s where our work began. We began a grass roots approach to share Tony’s story and ours, in the hope we could connect with others who might be facing similar challenges. We wanted to give others what we ourselves didn’t have: awareness and education. Since that time, we have expanded our work to include resources and tools we feel would have helped us when we were in crisis or after our loss. Our goal always being to save lives, offer help, destigmatize mental illness and bring the complexity and difficulty of this topic to the forefront so that those struggling, and their loved ones, could be reached.
The missions of Tony’s Tribe and AAS align and my role as the Loss Survivor Division Chair is an extension of that work. My hope is that through this platform, I can bring my experiences and strengths to AAS but more so join forces with one of the largest and oldest suicide prevention organizations in existence to work towards our common goal: a world without suicide.
Pamela McKie, LISW-S Chief Operating Officer of The Children’s Home AAS Crisis Services Division Chair
The most difficult thing for me to write about is my story. If I don’t tell it though, who will? It’s particularly important to share now to provide a glimpse into who I am and my connection to the mission of the American Association of Suicidology. I will endeavor to keep it brief, brilliant and for suicide to begone!
A journey not guaranteed
I have had many blessings and opportunities in my life. When I was presented with an opportunity to excel or make a difference, I made the most of it and worked hard. I feel beyond privileged to be in a leadership role of an agency that serves 15,000 of Greater Cincinnati’s most vulnerable each year.
If you were looking at a roadmap of my life’s path, the highway most traveled could have been named Interstate Pivot 101. The terrain was bumpy, rocky, twisted, curvy, and watch out for those potholes!
When my son was only 10 months old, I was operating as a single mother and eventually I was divorced. During that same time, I lost both parents, two close grandparents, and had a career change. I worked two jobs and had help from family and friends to make it through.
Only you get to define “You”
When I first answered what I truly feel is my calling – to be a social worker – I failed. I made the mistake of letting conventional thinking and paradigms define my options. I allowed others to define who I am and to determine how far I could go, and I went along with it. I was limiting my future and professional options by my degree and field of study rather than on my abilities, my talents, and skill set. I let the little square piece of paper hanging on the wall, and the roles that had been most traditionally held by those with “other pieces of paper,” keep me in a box…and actually shrink me.
I learned the thrill of risk taking
During a National Alliance on Mental Illness event where I received an Award of Excellence for Leadership, I met the Assurex Health start-up company. I took a risk and left my role of 15 years to join their pharmacogenomics team. As employee number 53, I was instrumental in helping grow the company into a billion-dollar genetics company with over 600 employees. Their technology and advances in the field are changing the lives of those with mental health and pain conditions. Today they have helped over 2 million patients. By doing this, I learned I can step outside the lines, really do almost anything, and show others they can do anything too. I learned that it is okay to “free myself” and empower others to do the same thing; that we are not limited, in fact we are expansive.
My Connection to the Mission
Almost 13 years ago to the day, as I pour myself into this blog post, is when I lost my dear nephew to suicide. This tragedy nearly shattered me. I hope words can paint the right picture of this loss. Most who know me would regard me as a strong woman – someone who stands up again and again despite the roadblocks, barriers and detours presented. I have been super fortunate to be recognized by my peers and our industry as a leader and honoree for various awards.
But losing my dear nephew to suicide hit me hard. I am a social worker for goodness sakes! And I have spent my career working in crisis services and in treating youth who have a myriad of mental and behavioral health conditions. Every accolade, every accomplishment, every promotion … I’d give it all back to have an opportunity to tell him he is loved, he is strong, his family is behind him and taking his young life is not an answer.
It’s my hope you will leverage your passion for the mission of AAS and to support our cause of saving lives. Our youth are killing themselves to the degree that suicide is an epidemic inside of a pandemic. We lose somewhere between 17 and 22 veterans a day to suicide. Suicide is the leading cause of death among people ages 10 – 34. And there are 1.4 million suicide attempts each year. I firmly believe the American Association of Suicidology is but one ally in this fight. You are another.
Editor’s note: This blog is part of the Meet Your AAS Board of Directors series. We’ll be continuing to release more blogs and hosting additional Facebook Lives over the course of the coming weeks. You can see our previous Facebook Live interviews with Board Members at facebook.com/aasuicidology.
WASHINGTON – Oct. 12, 2021 – The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is pleased to announce its Paul G. Quinnett (PGQ) Lived Experience Writing Competition Committee has selected Glenn Proctor, CPC, CPSS, GSS as Committee Chair. Glenn is a Pulitzer Prize winner, five-time Pulitzer judge, 40-year journalist, Marine and Founder of REDDjobb, a Charlotte team focusing on mental health advocacy, executive and life coaching, business strategy, marketing, women’s leadership and diversity and cultural awareness.
The Paul G. Quinnett Lived Experience Writing Competition was launched in 2014 as a partnership between the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and Dr. Paul Quinnett, Ph.D., the CEO of the QPR Institute. The purpose of the annual competition is to promote stories of survival, hope, and recovery from suicidal ideation and/or suicide attempt(s).
Glenn served as press secretary for U.S. Rep. Dan Mica of Florida, editor of the Marine base newspaper at Camp Lejeune, taught journalism at Kent State, media management as the Donald Reynolds Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at Washington and Lee and spent several summers teaching leadership and management as executive-in-residence for the Maynard Institute of Journalism Education at Northwestern University.
“I am honored to become a member of the AAS/ASLE family,” said Proctor. “As an advocate for mental health, grief support and suicide prevention, I will pair my peer training with decades experience as an author, journalist, professor and writing coach to expand the depth and breath of the PGQ writing program. Writing is healing and we want to get more individuals involved in telling their stories.”
Glenn coaches from lived experience of being a foster kid, single parent, alcoholic, and prostate cancer survivor. He’s been dry for 37 years. Glenn is a suicide loss survivor of his grandfather, has lost military “brothers” to suicide, and has written and spoken extensively about grief, trauma and suicide.
“The PGQ Committee is composed of ten incredible volunteers with writing, lived experience and/or behavioral health expertise,” said Jenn Carson, MA, AAS Attempt Survivor and Lived Experience (ASLE) Division Chair. “We are honored that Glenn will be taking the project to the next level in the upcoming year as a ASLE Division leader.”
The 2021 PGQ Writing Competition winners will be announced by November 10th. The 2022 competition will be open for submissions between September 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022.
The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization. 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 professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.
Igor Volhonski, known as Hellove, and Las Vegas-based singer/songwriter Zack Gray have joined forces to create an important mental health campaign, ‘Off The Edge’, right in time for May’s mental health awareness month. Paired alongside an upcoming single and music video slated for release next month, the accompanying campaign leading into both places a major focus on the ongoing mental health crisis the world has been, and is currently, facing. The endeavor takes the form of a website that features an episodic format, eventually providing users with appropriate resources.
‘Dark Cloud’, ‘On The Edge’, ‘The Light’, and ‘The Journey Ahead’ serve as the four main videos that explain in-detail, and bring attention to, various topics such as anxiety, depression, suicide, and many other similar concepts in a granular, in-depth fashion. The site then directs the visitor to solutions, connecting them with legitimate sources that will be able to provide viable support and professional advice, all officially supported in conjunction with the American Association of Suicidology. To keep on top of all things related to the campaign, users are encouraged to check out Hellove and Gray’s socials, which will contain all of the most up-to-date information.
Hellove is a multifaceted Estonian talent who has been releasing his own unique creative vision since October of last year. Bursting onto the scene with his debut single, ‘Lie’ featuring L.A.-based musician Trove, the powerhouse quickly followed this up with his sophomore endeavor, ‘I Got You’, featuring burgeoning singer/songwriter Gloria Kim. His recent official music video for the latter has hit over 7.2k streams via YouTube since its release at the tail end of February. Additionally, since October both singles have also received over 163k combined hits across all streaming platforms, setting an exciting precedent as for what to expect with ‘Off The Edge’.
Zack Gray is a budding musician based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. When he was formerly active in the band Wrings, in addition to other endeavors, he opened for music industry heavyweights the likes of AWOLNATION, Dashboard Confessional, Imagine Dragons, and The Neighbourhood. Recently, his vocal talent has been featured on several dance music tracks from talents such as Nurko, Nora Van Elken, and MITiS.
‘Off The Edge’ Campaign Release Schedule: Episode 1 – Wednesday, May 26th (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cehfL92JbW4) Episode 2 – Wednesday, June 2nd Song release – Wednesday, June 9th Episode 3 – Wednesday, June 16th Episode 4 – Wednesday, June 23rd Music video release – Friday, June 25th
The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization. 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 professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.
WASHINGTON – May 19, 2021 – The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is happy to announce a partnership with New Zealand charity, Live for Tomorrow, a technology-based nonprofit that launched its free Find A Helpline tool in New Zealand in September. The tool, available at findahelpline.com, is the world’s largest resource of mental health and crisis helplines, offering over 1,600 services in 66 countries that provide immediate emotional support over phone, text or web chat. Live for Tomorrow works directly with helplines to ensure their data remains accurate and reliable. From today, people seeking access to crisis support through AAS’s website will be bridged to Find A Helpline. This partnership is being announced in recognition of the first-ever Mental Health Action Day, an open-source movement of more than 1000 brands, organizations and cultural leaders to drive culture from mental health awareness to mental health action.
“We’re very excited to partner with Live for Tomorrow on such a critical resource,” said Colleen Creighton, AAS CEO. “Allowing our members and visitors to instantly and easily connect with the help they need will save lives. This tool and partnership are directly representative of our mission of suicide prevention.”
AAS has a long history of leadership in helplines and the crisis line space. AAS’s founder, Ed Shneidman, alongside Norman Farberow, founded the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center, the first phone-based crisis center in the US in 1958. AAS is currently the premiere provider for crisis center accreditation, with accredited centers across North America, including centers that make up the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and nationally recognized organizations like the Veterans Crisis Line, and The Trevor Project.
AAS also continually supports and enhances the infrastructure of crisis centers throughout the US by providing funding and project support, legislative advocacy, representation through an entire division in the association, and a Crisis Services chair position on its Board of Directors.
“This partnership is an example of the impact that can be achieved when organizations come together,” says Elliot Taylor, Executive Director of Live For Tomorrow. “Every day, people across the United States use Find A Helpline to seek immediate emotional support. By partnering with the American Association of Suicidology, more people in crisis will be able to access help, when and where they need it.”
This partnership could not be established at a better time, given the increasing rates of mental health concerns, especially in youth, in the US over the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. AAS and Live for Tomorrow are committed to increasing access to free, personalized, and confidential support for anyone who needs it.
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. For additional information, please visit SuicideReportingToolkit.com.
About The American Association of Suicidology
The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization. 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 professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.
About Live for Tomorrow
Live for Tomorrow is a New Zealand based charity working globally to build better crisis support for the digital era. Born out of a deep frustration of how hard it can be to access help when you’re struggling, Live for Tomorrow works to make it easier for everyone to receive emotional support, when and where they need it. They built the world’s first proactive social media helpline, supporting teens in over 50 countries, and are the creators of Find A Helpline, the world’s largest and most accessible resource of free mental health and crisis helplines. You can learn more about Live For Tomorrow at livefortomorrow.co
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We’re excited to announce the inaugural cohort of the AAS’s BIPOC Mentor Fellowship. Five mentors and five mentees will spend the next year exploring issues related to suicide prevention and postvention in BIPOC communities. These 10 amazing people will join us at AAS22 in Chicago to share their experiences and the outcomes of their projects. AAS sees this as an essential step in supporting expert and emerging expert BIPOC suicidologists. The mentor/mentee pairs are:
WASHINGTON – April 20, 2021 – The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is proud to host AAS21, its 54th Annual Conference, April 21 – 24, 2021. The conference will take place via a unique hybrid format – both in person in Orlando, FL at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Hotel and also virtually for those across the globe. AAS will welcome over 2100 attendees from across the world (a record-setting attendance) via this innovative platform, including world-class speakers, experts, and featured events. The Press Kit highlights featured keynote speakers, including Zak Williams, Robin Williams’ son, and many others. AAS is also pleased to announce the inclusion of two new very special panels:
“Our Critical Role in Conversations about Suicide Prevention” featuring Ashley Eckstein, voice of Star Wars’ Ahsoka Tano.
Keynote Panel “Elevating Mental Health in Elite Sport” featuring, Deja Young, Paralympic Gold Medalist in Track and Field and current 2021 Paralympic Hopeful; Steve Mesler, Olympic Gold Medalist in Bobsled, CEO of Classroom Champions, USOPC Board of Directors; Jessica Bartley, Director of Mental Health Services, USOPC; Troy Taylor, High-Performance Director, US Ski & Snowboard; and Shannon Decker, Executive Director, The Speedy Foundation, Advisor to USOPC’s External Mental Health Task Force.
“AAS21 will be unlike any conference we have ever hosted. Our plan to host live sessions in Orlando along with virtual sessions will afford the opportunity to provide the same content expected at an AAS conference. By working with our incredible partners, we’re ensuring an effective and safe conference for everyone,” said Becky Stoll, AAS21 Conference Chair.
We’ll also be featuring a virtual screening of Each and Every Day, an MTV Documentaries and Gidalya Pictures film that follows 9 young adults as they share their experiences surrounding mental health issues and suicide, Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. EST. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director, Alexandra Shiva, and producer, Lindsey Megrue. Watch the trailer here. AAS consulted during the development of this film and is thrilled to be able to offer it to attendees.
“We know that people are able to recover and grow after a crisis. The global crises of 2020 have disrupted our norms, but they also provide an opportunity for innovative solutions like offering the field a hybrid conference. AAS has always sought to bring people together so that the knowledge from professional and personal experience can be applied to address suicide, and the world needs that more than ever. AAS21 will enable us to safely and effectively bring expertise to the table from around the world,” said DeQuincy Lezine, AAS21 Program Chair.
In a special event at AAS21, Fenway Jones, Founder of Jasper’s Game Day (JGD) will generously present AAS with a check totaling more than $63,000. JGD uses the power and community-building aspects of tabletop gaming, like Dungeons & Dragons, to raise money for mental health, suicide prevention, and crisis intervention organizations. Fenway and JGD have been long-time partners with AAS, effectively helping to spread donations to crisis intervention services across the country, including some of AAS’s accredited crisis centers and providers.
“I’m really excited about the design and structure of this year’s conference as there is something for everyone. From the key in-person networking and conversations that are integral to spurring new collaborative projects to the broadened reach that online options provide, this hybrid approach will not disappoint” said Colleen Creighton, CEO of AAS.
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. For additional information, please visit SuicideReportingToolkit.com.
About The American Association of Suicidology
The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization. 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 professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.
WASHINGTON – April 12, 2021 – The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is pleased to announce that Don Wright, founder and CEO of Clarigent Health, has joined its Board of Directors. Don’s work involves triangulating mental health metrics from the patient, the clinician, and the company’s proprietary vocal biomarkers technology. This supports earlier detection of risk, continuous monitoring of progress over time, and group-level insights for mental health care organizations. Prior to Clarigent, Don spent the previous decade developing the GeneSight pharmacogenomics product at Assurex Health helping almost two million people get on the right treatment for depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions.
“I am delighted to join AAS who are leading the way in suicide prevention. The need is more urgent than ever and there is much we need to change,” said Wright. “The exciting thing is that we in the healthcare industry are rethinking how mental healthcare is delivered and paid for in the United States, with increasing recognition that mental health is physical health. I look forward to adding my voice to the AAS effort, bringing perspective from my years in industry as well as my lived experience”
Don is the President of the Suicide Prevention Initiative and Depression Research Foundation. He is also the chairman of Inagene Diagnostics, a pharmacogenomics company specializing in mental health and pain treatment. He is the chairman of the Hamilton Mill a Cincinnati area startup accelerator and a member of the board of advisors of OhioX, the board of advisors of the Xavier University Master of Science in Customer Analytics Program, the NKU Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the University of Cincinnati Technology Accelerator for Commercialization, as well as the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Digital Health and Care committee.
“We are excited to have Don join our Board,” said Anthony Wood, AAS Board Chair. “He’s a long-time supporter and suicide prevention champion, having joined us several years ago as a loss survivor. Don is a respected member of the biomedical startup community, not only bringing his proven track record of innovation but also his experience in harnessing research and implementing evidence-based initiatives. His expertise expands the private sector presence on our board. Ensuring professional diversity was identified as a top priority for the long term sustainability of AAS, a core goal for the organization identified during our strategic planning process.”
Don is the father of three children, Justin (who we lost to suicide in 2017), Abigail, and Samuel.
AAS is dedicated to providing representation that effectively communicates the needs and goals of its membership. By continuing to include a diverse roster of individuals who can address these components, AAS, its divisions and committees, and its Board of Directors work strategically to create programs focused on ending suicide in this country and throughout the world.
For the Media: Responsible reporting on suicide, including stories of hope and resilience, can prevent more suicides. Please visit the Media as Partners in Suicide Prevention: Suicide Reporting Recommendations for more information. For additional information, please visit SuicideReportingToolkit.com.
About AAS: The American Association of Suicidology is the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization. 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 professionals, survivors of suicide loss, attempt survivors, and a variety of laypersons who have in interest in suicide prevention. You can learn more about AAS at www.suicidology.org.
The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) expresses its gratitude to the Biden Administration for taking action to curb gun violence and for directly addressing suicide in this context. Suicide is an often-neglected topic in gun violence prevention discussions yet half of all suicides result from the use of a firearm, and a majority of all firearm deaths are suicides. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with this administration and other gun violence prevention organizations to reduce suicides by firearm. Addressing firearm suicides at a national level is critical.
Established in 2018, AAS’s Firearms and Suicide Committee has laid out several priorities in the effort to lower rates of suicide by firearm. This is a promising first step on behalf of the Administration, but we need to continue to fund research to better understand the intersection of firearms and suicide, to study how population scale legislation can affect that intersection, and to effectively implement evidence-based intervention strategies across the country.
“The Biden administration has announced a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the burden of gun violence in America,” said Michael Anestis, PhD, Co-Chair of AAS’s Firearms and Suicide Committee and Executive Director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center. “The American Association of Suicidology is grateful that, in doing so, the administration specifically mentioned firearm suicide. Suicide accounts for nearly two-thirds of all American gun deaths – nearly 25,000 deaths each year – and effectively addressing this issue will require leadership willing to openly acknowledge the problem. Pursuing data-driven solutions like extreme risk protection orders is a meaningful first step and a sign that the Administration is willing to actively pursue data-driven life saving measures to prevent firearm suicide.”
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.
