American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

Description

The Foundation's activities include:

• Supporting research that is improving our understanding of suicide and its prevention. Since 2000, AFSP has invested over $10 million in new studies, including research into treatments for people who are depressed and suicidal.
• Providing education and information about depression and suicide to professionals, the media, schools and the public through workshops, trainings, the AFSP website, videos, publications, brochures and public service announcements. AFSP's More Than Sad Series - More Than Sad: Teen Depression is aimed at teenagers 14 - 18 years old. This film focuses exclusively on the recognition and treatment of depression and references suicide only as an outcome of untreated depression. The second film, More Than Sad: A Guide to Preventing Teen Suicide, is an instructional film for teachers and other school personnel that describes a group of mental disorders that can lead to suicide, as well as risk factors and warning signs of suicide.
• Publicizing the magnitude of the problems of depression and suicide, advocating for policies and legislation that can help prevent suicide and working to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide.
• Offering programs for survivors of suicide loss that can be of assistance and involving survivors in suicide prevention. AFSP survivor initiatives include the National Survivors of Suicide Day program, which was broadcast to over 175 communities and was simulcast on the AFSP website, the Survivor e-Network and trainings for survivor support group facilitators.