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National Guidelines for Workplace Suicide Prevention: Take the Pledge

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Next week is National Suicide Prevention Week!

We hope you take the pledge to make suicide prevention a health and safety priority at work.
 
Findings from a national survey involving over 2,000 U.S. adults (conducted by The Harris Poll) released this week found the overwhelming majority (81%) believe, as a result of COVID-19, suicide prevention needs to be a national priority. The results indicated most Americans believe suicide can be prevented (93%) and indicated they would take action if someone close to them was experiencing suicidal intensity (95%). That said, most (69%) were able to list multiple barriers to doing something:

  • Not knowing what to say (31%)

  • Feeling they don’t have enough knowledge (28%)

  • Not feeling comfortable with the topic (19%).

The National Guidelines for Workplace Suicide Prevention can help workplaces and professional associations fill this gap. Last year on World Mental Health Day (October 10, 2019), three national suicide prevention partners (American Association for Suicidology, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and United Suicide Survivors International) launched these guidelines, and less than one year later, 330 individuals and/or organizations have taken the pledge to make suicide prevention a health and safety priority.

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Join these early adopters and embark upon the process of developing a comprehensive and sustained “upstream, midstream and downstream” strategy in your workplace community. Once you have registered as an official “pledge partner” you will be introduced to the 9 Practices and have an opportunity to earn badges of engagement that indicate publicly how you are taking steps to become more suicide-informed.

Together we can take action, save lives and help people reconnect to a passion for living.
 
In solidarity,
 
Sally Spencer-Thomas, Psy.D.
President, United Suicide Survivors International
Secretary, Board of Directors & Co-Chair of the Workplace Committee, American Association of Suicidology
 
Jodi Jacobson Frey, Ph.D.
Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Co-Editor in Chief, Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health
Co-Chair, Workplace Committee, American Association of Suicidology
 
Maggie G. Mortali, MPH
Senior Director, Interactive Screening Program
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention