There are a lot of myths surrounding suicide and mental health. We have gathered resources and organized them below that seek to address some of the most common myths about suicide. In addition, we also want to direct you to some of the more significant statistics surrounding suicide.

• Common Myths About Suicide (PDF)

• Myths & Facts from the Suicide Prevention Primer (PDF)

• 2017 USA Suicide Deaths Statistics (PDF)

• 2017 Leading Causes of Death (PDF)

Suicide and mental health are both deeply personal and deeply sensitive. It is perfectly normal to be apprehensive when speaking about these topics for fear of saying the wrong thing. Here, we have organized a list of good resources for building a vocabulary around suicide prevention and mental health.

• Self-Directed Violence (PDF)

• Glossary of Common Mental Health Terms from SPRC (PDF)

• General Suicide Vocabulary from Lifegard (PDF)

Sometimes, suicide is caused by other mentally unhealthy behaviors or mental health disorders. These are referred to as co-occurring disorders. It is important to understand the interaction between pre-existing mental health disorders and suicide. Below, we have put together some resources related to suicide and some of the common co-occurring mental health disorders.

• Suicide Warning Signs Wallet Card (PDF)

• Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (PDF)

• ALCA Journal on Suicide (PDF)

• Mental Health Phone App Recommendations (PDF)

• Community Resources for Mental Health Help (PDF)

As important as understanding different people so you can best assess how to help them, it can be just as important to understand your role in help to prevent suicide. We have assembled some resources below for preventing suicide as a member of a specific group.

• A Toolkit for High Schools (PDF)

• A Toolkit for Senior Living Communities (PDF)

• Workplace Suicide Prevention Toolkit (PDF)

• Suicide in Alabama – Certified Public Manager Program (PDF)

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be a challenge to manage. If you have suicidal thoughts, we have assembled some resources for identifying and managing suicidal impulses in yourself and others.

Our behavior is informed by our own experiences and perceptions of the world around us. These same perceptions influence how people in crisis respond to our attempts to help keep them safe. We have assembled a group of resources (most of them from Canadian sources) for understanding and assisting some of these groups.

As part of our larger goal of providing suicide prevention resources and specialized training in suicide prevention, the Alabama Suicide Prevention Advisory Committee developed resources to assist educators and administrators in fulfilling their mandated training in suicide prevention as part of the Jason Flatt Act. While targeted towards educators and administrators, these free resources are available to anyone.