- Categories:
- Health
- Tags:
- AwarenessMental Health
- Where:
- United States
- Date change rule:
- Week starting the Sunday after September 10
- Holiday emoji:
- 🎗️
Suicide Prevention Week, observed annually in the United States, begins on September 13, 2026, and ends on September 19. This vital campaign aims to educate the public about suicide prevention, raise awareness of rising suicide rates, and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health challenges. Take action by learning warning signs, supporting advocacy groups, and encouraging open conversations.
Want to sponsor Suicide Prevention Week? Learn how
History of Suicide Prevention Week
The American Association of Suicidology sponsors National Suicide Prevention Week (NSPW) activities. Since 1975, NSPW awareness events are held throughout the week corresponding to World Suicide Prevention Day, which is recognized annually on September 10.
Although suicide awareness activities started in the 1950s, the history of suicide itself goes back to the 1700s. The act of suicide is also prominently mentioned in ancient legend and history. Ajax the great killed himself in the Trojan War and Lucretia’s suicide around 510 B.C. initiated the revolt that displaced the Roman Kingdom.
Attitudes towards suicide have varied over the years through the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods with some supporting the act in cases when people were afflicted with a disease and some denying that suicide was a crime. It was not until the 1950s that suicide prevention activities in the U.S. started.
Suicide Prevention Week timeline
The first suicide prevention center in the United States opens in Los Angeles, California.
A nonprofit organization advocating for suicide prevention is established by Edwin S. Shneidman.
A national strategy is established, using the United Nations guidelines for the prevention of suicide.
The Reno Conference is viewed as the founding event of the modern suicide prevention movement.
Suicide Prevention Week FAQs
When is Suicide Prevention Week?
In 2026, Suicide Prevention Week runs from Sunday, September 13, through Saturday, September 19, aligning with World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10. It’s a critical time to raise awareness and support.
How many people die by suicide each year in the U.S.?
According to the CDC, there were approximately 49,449 suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2022, a slight increase from the previous year. This underscores the urgent need for continued prevention efforts and support systems.
What is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline?
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It launched nationwide in July 2022.
What is World Suicide Prevention Day?
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed annually on September 10. It’s an international event organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise global awareness that suicide can be prevented.
How to Observe Suicide Prevention Week
Raise awareness
One of the most helpful and effective ways we can observe Suicide Prevention Week is by raising awareness of it. We need to reduce the stigma around it and raise awareness so that more and more people can reach out for help.
Educate yourself
The best thing we can do is to learn more about it. We need to educate ourselves and facilitate proactive prevention in our communities so that we can shatter the silence around our mental health.
Look out for others
Most of the people suffering from poor mental health do not reach out for help for fear of being judged or misunderstood. So we need to look out for others and check for warning signs. We need to help people feel heard and understood.
5 Facts About Assisted Suicide
Legalize euthanasia
The first country that legalized euthanasia was the Netherlands in 2001.
Worldwide euthanasia
10 countries have legalized euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Hippocratic Oath
Despite taking the Hippocratic Oath, doctors perform euthanasia in certain circumstances.
Euthanasia is not always painless
Some unethical doctors euthanize a patient through carbon monoxide, the use of plastic bags to suffocate them, or starve them.
Euthanasia in a royal family
King George V was suffering from cardiorespiratory failure and was given drugs to be euthanized.
Why Suicide Prevention Week is Important
It helps prevent suicide
We can save plenty of lives by raising awareness this week, reaching out to those affected by suicide, and connecting individuals with suicidal thoughts to treatment services.
It reduces stigma around mental health
By spreading awareness during Suicide Prevention Week, the stigma around mental health has reduced a great deal and most people nowadays are not ashamed to ask for help.
It fosters compassion in people
Gaining knowledge about this week is helping people learn to empathize, be compassionate, and come together as a community to educate and support each other.
Suicide Prevention Week dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | September 7–13 | Sunday–Saturday |
| 2026 | September 13–19 | Sunday–Saturday |
