American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

CONTACT:

P.O. Box 129
Hudson, MA 01749
(978) 568-0818
www.afsp.org

Kimberly Gleason, Regional Director

DESCRIPTION:

An estimated 23,000 adolescents will attempt suicide in Massachusetts this year. The suicide rate is two to three times higher than the murder rate.

When the murder rate climbs, the public outcry is immediate and insistent. Not so with suicide, which tends to provoke mainly cover-ups and silence. The Northeast Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is working to combat this major health problem here by educating both professionals and the public on suicide prevention, as well as providing comfort to survivors of suicide. Founded in 1991 as a partnership of survivors, scientists, and community leaders, the Northeast Chapter of the AFSP holds 2 annual conferences: one for professional guidance counselors, physicians, and social workers, and one for surviving relatives and friends. Survivors who attend regional conferences share their experiences in a safe environment and learn from each other as they rebuild their lives. AFSP is the only not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to funding research, developing prevention initiatives, and offering educational programs and conferences for survivors, mental health professionals, physicians, and the public.

Depression and mental illness, the primary causes of suicide, are now highly treatable. The AFSP is seeking your philanthropic support to address a number of initiatives, including: outreach programs to treat adolescent depression and reduce suicide; a New England outreach program to police officers and clergy; continuing support for suicide survivors; the implementation of innovative prevention programs; and, ongoing public awareness programs.

(2000: HUMAN SERVICES: Health and Aging: General)