News & Events

TEXAS - Youth Suicide Prevention Project

The Texas Department of State Health Services is the recipient of a youth suicide prevention grant (2009-2012) from the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. This grant builds on the work of a previous project by providing primary-care and school-based suicide screening, referral, treatment, and follow-up initiatives, suicide prevention gatekeeper training, and a statewide public awareness campaign. The public/private partnership for the project includes the Texas Department of State Health Services, The Center for Health Care Services in San Antonio, Mental Health America of Texas, and the Texas Suicide Prevention Council (a collaboration of 18 state agencies and organizations and 15 local suicide prevention coalitions.)

AUSTIN -  University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin launched the Be That One, Suicide Prevention Program, which addresses suicide prevention on campus by: raising awareness about the issue of college student suicide, engaging faculty, staff, and students to take an active role in suicide prevention, and providing focused trainings to campus groups around suicide prevention. The program is designed to serve the needs of the diverse UT population with information, education, training, and referral services. For more information, check out www.cmhc.utexas.edu/bethatone

The University of Texas at Austin is leading the National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education in the development of a second national study to examine coping and suicidality among college students. This study will expand and build on the 2006 survey of college students' suicidal crises, which brought together 70 colleges and universities and garnered attention in the national media. http://cmhc.utexas.edu/researchconsortium.html

DALLAS  - I Am H.E.R.E. Youth and Young Adult Coalition

The Grant Halliburton Foundation launched a new coalition to improve the way we serve the mental health needs of teens and young adults in North Texas. This coalition, I AM H.E.R.E, focuses on four critical components: Help, Education, Resources and Encouragement. The charter meeting brought together more than 70 professionals from key sectors of the community--including mental health providers, schools, social services, and law enforcement and juvenile justice authorities--to strengthen the network of mental health services for teens, young adults and their families. http://www.granthalliburton.org/press/may09newsletter.pdf

Veterans Can Chat Live Through New Online Service

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline launched an online chat service for veterans in emotional distress available at: www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans. Veterans are encouraged to chat online anonymously with a counselor during the operating hours of 4:00pm -7:30am EST Daily. Friends and family members of a veteran in crisis are also welcomed to use Veterans Chat.

Suicide Among Veterans

The journal Injury Prevention is planning a supplement featuring papers that examine methods for identifying, assessing, and preventing suicide among veterans of military service. Call for papers: Injury Prevention to produce supplement issue Suicide among Veterans of Military Service Deadline for submission: 2/1/2010

Health Reform Bill Includes Suicide Prevention Priorities

On Saturday (Nov. 7), the U.S. House of Representatives passed comprehensive health reform legislation by a vote of 220 to 215. The approval clears the way for the Senate to begin debate on its reform bill.

In May, SPAN USA, a division of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, called for health reform legislation to include certain priorities that would lead to a reduction in suicide and suicide attempts in America. The majority of AFSPs priorities are addressed in the House bill, Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R.3962).

Dr. Phil Avatar on Lifeline Gallery

Lifeline and Dr. Phil formed a strategic partnership to prevent suicide during the economic crisis. Partnership efforts include the Dr. Phil avatar launched on Lifeline Gallery (www.lifelinegallery.org), an online forum filled with hundreds of stories from suicide survivors and suicide prevention advocates. Also, Dr. Phil will continue to offer 1-800-273-TALK on his shows about suicidal behaviors in order to help viewers in need.

SAMHSA Awards for Youth Suicide Prevention

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the award of 18 grants totaling over $26 million over three years to support suicide prevention efforts undertaken by state and tribal youth suicide prevention programs. The grants will help fund crucial suicide prevention efforts especially geared for youth, including: early intervention and assessment services; referrals to mental health care and treatment; and information and outreach campaigns.  Click here for more information

Lifeline in New YouTube Abuse and Safety Center

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has partnered with YouTube to offer suicide prevention resources to the YouTube online community. Lifeline content on the new YouTube Abuse and Safety Center includes information on what to do if someone on YouTube may be at risk of suicide or if someone posts harmful messages about suicide on the site. Also posted are the Lifeline number, a PSA and a link to the Lifeline channel where one can find suicide warning signs.

SAMHSA Study: 8.3 Million had Serious Thoughts of Suicide in the Past Year

According to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study, 3.7% of adults in the U.S. had serious thoughts, 2.3 million made a plan, and 1.1 million actually attempted suicide in the past year. Read more.

Texas Law Allows Communities to Have Timely Suicide Death Data

Until 2009, the most recent suicide data available to local Texas communities or to the public was from 2005. House Bill 1067, sponsored by Rep. Elliott Naishtat and Sen. Jane Nelson, now allows local communities to share timely data. Mental health and public health authorities can work with suicide prevention advocates and other local community groups to implement community-specific strategies to prevent suicide deaths and to provide timely interventions AFTER a death to help prevent further deaths and/or suicide contagion.

The Texas Suicide Prevention Council promoted passage of the bill because timely sharing of data, as it is collected locally, enables local public and mental health organizations to be aware of suicide deaths soon after they occur, instead of 3-4 years later. Timely surveillance of suicide data is one of the key goals of the U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Suicide.