Since 2008, every September has been a month of remembrance and promotion of suicide prevention. The month was meant to symbolize a time to bring awareness and acknowledge those lost in order to educate people on the mental health behind suicide and who it is affecting. 

Throughout the month, there were specific days that presented a relative topic for that given day. World Suicide Prevention day was Sept. 10, which helps to spread more awareness on the effects of suicide throughout the world. Suicide prevention week takes place on Sept. 5-12. According to National Today, the week is meant to focus more on the mental health behind suicide and help reduce the stigma around speaking out about mental health.

On Sept. 15, a campaign that goes by the name Zero Reason Why brought a group of students from the Johnson County school district to talk to NHS staff about mental health in correlation to suicide prevention month. The students talked to the staff about building a community, ending the stigma about mental health talk and promoting better education of coping mechanisms to end teen suicide. At the meeting, the students working with the program shared their stories about mental health and the way suicide has affected them directly, to help staff get a better understanding of the events that occur with mental health issues. 

Suicide awareness activities have been going on since the 1950s. When seeking help, there are a variety of hotlines which specialize in multiple scenarios and made with trained professionals ready to assist in any way possible. The month is not only for acknowledging the subject of suicide, but also to help with awareness of people around the victim with mental health issues. The Center of Disease Control (CDC) shares a list of ways that people can better educate themselves on how to handle a person in need. The CDC additionally shares different facts with resources for those struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide. 

Lifelines have been made easily accessible for most everyone when they need to talk to a professional. Lifelines like the Suicide Prevention Lifeline were made by professionals for people in need of help with whatever mental health issue that may occur. The site has different resources to help educate on the subject of suicide. The website states they are trying to end the stigma of talks about mental health and the subject of suicide. The lifeline has individual phone numbers that you can call in almost every state, including Kansas. 

Mental health continues to grow as a mainstream subject throughout the years. There are different ways to find out information on suicide prevention month and events in your local area that promote remembrance and education. Other ways to better educate on the subject of suicide are by finding online resources that state facts on mental health or ways to spot mental health issues amongst peers.