"Texas' HB 1386 amends current law and now requires that a list of best practice suicide prevention programs be sent to school districts, and that school districts include suicide prevention in their Improvement Plans." Read More

What to Do if You Spot the Signs

People who attempt suicide often send out warning signs before they actually make an attempt. These signs may be loud and clear, or low-key and subtle. Knowing how to recognize these signs is the first step in taking action that could save someone's life. Read more

Call for help. Get in touch with your local crisis line for other ways to help.

Please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)

Red Nacional de Prevencion del Suicidio 1-888-628-9454

Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline:
1-800-273-TALK (8255) and press 1

thumnail of 2012 Texas Suicide Tool Kit Coming Together to Care, A Suicide Prevention Toolkit for Texas Communities 2012

 

2013 Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium

Announcing the Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium: Coming Together to Care 2013 will be held on July 10th at the Dallas Marriott at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. For more information and to register, use the following link: http://texassuicidepreventionsymposium2013.eventbrite.com

Coping with tragic events

Mental Health America of Texas joins Americans in mourning the loss of those killed and injured in the tragic West, Texas, and Boston Marathon Explosions and in the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. We do know that tragic events impact families, the community and the nation. Many may feel at risk and may experience feelings of anxiety and fear. Parents may be groping with how to discuss these and similar events with their children. The National Disaster Distress Helpline is a 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week national service that offers phone- and text-based crisis counseling and support to people in distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster, to help them move forward on the path of recovery. You may reach the Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or by texting "TalkWithUs" or ("Hablanos" for Spanish-speaking) to 66746.

Further resources have been compiled by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (sprc.org):

Helpful Hints for School Emergency Management:

ONLINE INTERACTIVE TRAININGS AVAILABLE FOR TEXAS SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES

At Risk Website ScreenshotMiddle Schools and High Schools

The interactive training simulations helps educators build skills and confidence to identify and refer students in psychological or suicidal distress and is available only to Texas public middle and high school educators.

The free training will help high school faculty and administrators understand their role in identifying common signs and symptoms of psychological distress and have the confidence to take appropriate action, such as a referral to the school counselor. The one-hour At-Risk trainings uses a research-based approach and proven techniques for identifying and approaching distressed students in order to take appropriate action.

Trainings are open only to those affiliated with Texas public high schools. If you have a special request, please contact Mary Ellen Nudd, menudd@mhatexas.org.

Texas Colleges and Universities

Texas educational institutions that are interested in having free online trainings available for students and faculty, please contact Mary Ellen Nudd, menudd@mhatexas.org.

Watvh Videos of Hope and Help NowTrue Stories of Hope and Help Videos Online Now


Mental Health America of Texas announces the availability of five short videos featuring youth and young adults from central Texas sharing their stories of hope and help. These videos feature the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number and follow their guidelines for suicide prevention.

These true stories are from high school or college age youth who have either reached out for help themselves when they were severely depressed and having suicidal thoughts, or from teens who have reached out to help a friend who was thinking of suicide. 

The videos are sponsored by the Texas Suicide Prevention Council and Mental Health America of Texas in partnership with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Austin Travis County Suicide Prevention Coalition.

View the 4-minutes videos:

You Can Never Count the Stars: Shania and Sydney’s True Story of Help and Hope Always Tell Someone: Krista’s True Story of Help and Hope for Teen Suicide Prevention
ASK the Question: Kurt’s True Story of Help and Hope for College Suicide Prevention

Good Friends are Essential: Zach’s True Story of Help and Hope for College Suicide Prevention

Ribbons of Hope: Maggie’s True Story of Help and Hope for Teen Suicide Prevention

Videos are also available on You Tube - http://www.youtube.com/mhatexas
and Vimeo - http://vimeo.com/mhatexas

For more information click here.

Free, Small & Easy App to Save Lives Around You

Now Available on iTunes!

Mental Health America of Texas is proud to announce a small iPhone App for suicide prevention which is freely distributable everywhere.

This app was developed from a non-proprietary suicide prevention training program called ASK (ASK about suicide / Seek more information / Know where to refer) which was also developed by Mental Health America of Texas. The suicide prevention app is supported by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

We urge you to take a moment and download this app, because when you or your friends are in crisis, a shortcut to the right help can make a huge difference in its outcome.

Learn easy steps to help prevent suicide in your community right now. Click the link above to open iTunes and download, or search "suicide prevention" in the App Store on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

You really can help save a life!

Coming Together To Care

Suicide in Texas is a serious public health concern-and one that might be addressed successfully through a coordinated and comprehensive approach aimed at prevention.

Consider the toll it is taking on our state:

  • Slightly more than six Texans die from suicide each day with more deaths overall by suicide than by homicide.
  • Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for Texans and the third leading cause of death among youth ages fifteen to twenty-four, and the second leading cause of death for college age students.
  • Regardless of age, males are more likely to die because of suicide than females.
  • Suicide rates (number of deaths per 100,000 population) tend to be highest among senior Texans and the largest numbers of deaths by suicide tend to be in the middle ages.
  • Suicide cuts across all ages, all ethnicities and both genders. Although Anglo white males have had the highest suicide rates, in Texas we have seen an increase in deaths by suicide for young African American males and an increase in deaths by suicide for middle aged women.
  • National surveys indicate that Hispanic female teens report the highest number of suicide attempts, and Texas has more reported attempts for this group than those reported nationally.

Ask the Question

Everyone in Texas can be a "gatekeeper" and help save a life by talking about suicide prevention. We call this the ASK suicide prevention process. Asking someone about suicide ("are you considering taking your life", Seeking more information about their situation and Referring them to help can save a life.

The heightened period of suicidality is a matter of hours so anything you can do to make it more difficult can prevent someone from completing a suicidal act. In addition, means restriction can make a difference and make it more difficult for individuals to kill themselves. Since firearms are the predominant means to suicide in Texas, locking them up or securing them with a trigger lock saves lives. Medication should also be kept in a secure area.