Texas Suicide Prevention Week: September 4-10, 2011

As a result of the passage of HCR 40 during the 82nd Texas Legislative Session, Texas will commemorate the State’s first official Texas Suicide Prevention Week from September 4 - 10, 2011. A number of commemorative events are scheduled around the state.

The week concludes on September 10, World Suicide Prevention Day, a collaborative effort of the World Health Organization and the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

On this day, we’ll be working with our partners around the state to raise awareness on suicide prevention successes and goals. Please join with us in this effort though the use and promotion of the resources below and contact us with additional links to resources we can provide in service to all Texans.

Texas Suicide Prevention Resources

• www.texassuicideprevention.org
  The Texas Suicide Prevention Council is a group of local suicide prevention coalitions and statewide agencies that have joined together to implement the Texas Suicide Prevention Plan.
• http://www.crisishotline.org/content/survivors-of-suicide.html
  Crisis Intervention of Houston's Survivors of Suicide (SOS) support group is designed to help survivors cope with the loss of a loved one to suicide. They also offer a Crisis Hotline (713-HOTLINE) that serves persons in crisis and overcome the barriers to help due to fear, isolation, abuse, physical disability, health, language, age, income, location, problem type or timing of the crisis.
• www.sprc.org
  The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) provides prevention support, training, and resources to assist organizations and individuals to develop suicide prevention programs, interventions and policies, and to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. The Texas plan is available online.
• suicide.org/support-groups/texas-suicide-support-groups.html
  Suicide.org has compiled a listing of free support groups for survivors of suicide throughout Texas. The groups are listed by city, and meeting times, dates, location, and contact information for each meeting are included.
• www.texvet.com
  TexVet is dedicated to providing veterans, military members and their families with equal access to information. The Veterans Health Administration has founded a national crisis hotline to ensure veterans in emotional crisis have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. To operate the Veterans Hotline, the VA partnered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Veterans can call the Lifeline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and press “1” to be routed to the Veterans Crisis Hotline.
• Suicide Prevention Week Fact Sheet
  The American Association of Suicidology provides fact sheets of both general information and information specific to certain populations, including African Americans, Hispanics, individuals with depression, the elderly, youth, and the LGBTQ community.
• Suicide Prevention Week 2011 Toolkit
  The American Association of Suicidology has created a free, printable tool kit for Suicide Prevention Week, which includes an introduction to suicide prevention; suicide fact sheets, tips and samples for media awareness, including press releases, public service announcements, fliers, op-eds and proclamations.

Suicide Prevention Hotlines & Phone Numbers

• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) - funded by SAMHSA

• Military Veterans Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK, press 1 (1-800-273-8255, press 1)

• La Red Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio: 1-800-273-TALK, oprimir 2 (1-800-273-8255, oprimir 2)

• LGBT Youth Suicide Hotline: 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (1-866-488-7386)

Getting Help

Finding Mental Health Services

• To find mental health services in your area, please search for the referral line phone number of your Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA) using the online mental health services search form. You may call the referral line of the LMHA in your area for confidential help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Parents or legal guardians seeking help for minors may use the online search listed above.  For more information on services specifically for children and adolescents, please see our page on mental health services for children and adolescents or our child and adolescent services overview page.

Finding Substance Abuse Services

• To find substance abuse treatment services in your area, please call, toll free, 1-877-9-NO DRUG (1-877-966-3784) for immediate and confidential help, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or contact the Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral Center (OSAR) in your region. OSARs are the first point of contact for those seeking substance abuse treatment services.  You may search online for the nearest substance abuse treatment program, however to access services you will need to first contact the OSAR in your region.
• To find substance abuse prevention services in your area, please call, toll free, 1-877-9-NO DRUG (1-877-966-3784) or search online for the nearest substance abuse Prevention Resource Center.
• Parents or legal guardians seeking help for minors may use the phone numbers and online searches listed above.  For more information on services specifically for children and adolescents, please see our page on youth substance abuse services or our child and adolescent services overview page.