American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Encyclopedia
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) was founded in 1987 by a group of experts on suicide
who wanted to create a 501(c)3 organization to fund research in suicide prevention
.
Education and research about depression
and suicide are fundamental to the AFSP purpose. Grant awards are given to those involved in suicide research. A current campaign to increase suicide awareness is a public service announcement called "Suicide Shouldn't be a Secret". Annual walks called "Out of the Darkness" raise funds for suicide prevention efforts and research.
AFSP has a number of suicide prevention programs aimed at various populations such as teenagers, and college students, people in medical professions, and other high-risk groups. The Republic of Hungary
has for most of a century had the world's highest rate of suicide, and AFSP has been working with general practitioner
s and psychiatrist
s to reduce the rate of suicide in the Kiskunhalas
region.
New programs are being initiated such as the exploration of a possible collaboration with the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
to study depression and suicidality amongst LGBT
(Lesbian
, Gay
, Bisexual, Transgender
) individuals, and to develop ways to address these issues.
AFSP has programs to support survivors of suicide - those who have lost loved ones to suicide. The annual National Survivors of Suicide Day
, always held the Saturday before Thanksgiving
, connects members of conferences in many cities in the country by means of electronic media, including internet broadcast
. A list of suicide grief groups nationwide is kept on the AFSP website.
AFSP has local chapters throughout the country. These chapters contribute to the fund raising efforts of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention by events such as Appetite for Life, in which participating restaurants will donate all of their proceeds on a night to the organization.
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
who wanted to create a 501(c)3 organization to fund research in suicide prevention
Suicide prevention
Suicide prevention is an umbrella term for the collective efforts of local citizen organizations, mental health practitioners and related professionals to reduce the incidence of suicide....
.
Education and research about depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and suicide are fundamental to the AFSP purpose. Grant awards are given to those involved in suicide research. A current campaign to increase suicide awareness is a public service announcement called "Suicide Shouldn't be a Secret". Annual walks called "Out of the Darkness" raise funds for suicide prevention efforts and research.
AFSP has a number of suicide prevention programs aimed at various populations such as teenagers, and college students, people in medical professions, and other high-risk groups. The Republic of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
has for most of a century had the world's highest rate of suicide, and AFSP has been working with general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
s and psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
s to reduce the rate of suicide in the Kiskunhalas
Kiskunhalas
- Railroad :The city is an important railway junction. It crosses the Budapest-Subotica-Belgrade railway line. The Kiskunfélegyháza railway ends in Kiskunhalas.- Name :...
region.
New programs are being initiated such as the exploration of a possible collaboration with the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association works to ensure equality in health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and health care professionals...
to study depression and suicidality amongst LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
(Lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, Bisexual, Transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
) individuals, and to develop ways to address these issues.
AFSP has programs to support survivors of suicide - those who have lost loved ones to suicide. The annual National Survivors of Suicide Day
National Survivors of Suicide Day
The National Survivors of Suicide Day is designated by the United States Congress as a day when the friends and family of those who have committed suicide can join together for healing and consolation. This day always falls on the Saturday before Thanksgiving...
, always held the Saturday before Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
, connects members of conferences in many cities in the country by means of electronic media, including internet broadcast
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
. A list of suicide grief groups nationwide is kept on the AFSP website.
AFSP has local chapters throughout the country. These chapters contribute to the fund raising efforts of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention by events such as Appetite for Life, in which participating restaurants will donate all of their proceeds on a night to the organization.