The National Survivors of Suicide Day is designated by the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 as a day when the friends and family of those who have committed suicide

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...

 can join together for healing and consolation. This day always falls on 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...

. The day is sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was founded in 1987 by a group of experts on suicide who wanted to create a 5013 organization to fund research in suicide prevention....

 (AFSP).

In 1999, Senator Harry Reid

Harry Reid

Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...

 introduced a resolution

Resolution (law)

A resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion. For long or important motions, though, it is often better to have them written out so that discussion is easier or so that it can be...

 to the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 which led to the creation of the National Survivors of Suicide Day. Reid proposed the designation after his father committed suicide.

Every year, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was founded in 1987 by a group of experts on suicide who wanted to create a 5013 organization to fund research in suicide prevention....

 sponsors the National Survivors of Suicide Teleconference, which occurs on the same day as National Survivors of Suicide Day. This live telecast presents scientific information, as well as panel symposiums, about suicide.

After a nationwide broadcast, local groups have meetings that give survivors a chance to tell their stories to others. These conferences allow survivors to share and understand the strong feelings they are enduring.

In 2009, the teleconference highlighted the Out of Darkness

Out of the Darkness (Community and Overnight Walks)

The Out of the Darkness Community and Overnight walks benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention by raising awareness on suicide and depression, raising money for research and education to prevent suicide from taking place, and providing assistance and a safe outlet for survivors of...

 walk at Soldier Field

Soldier Field

Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...

, Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. Internationally, thousands of people in 175 cities viewed the broadcast.

According to Christopher Lukas, a speaker at the 2009 Westchester County, New York

Westchester County, New York

Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...

 conference, 30,000 Americans commit suicide annually, leaving about seven million relatives and friends behind. At the conference, Lukas reminded the survivors that they could grieve but they should not blame themselves for the deaths of those who committed suicide. Lukas emphasized that suicides occur due to sickness or depression

Depression (mood)

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...

; there is little a survivor could have done to prevent the suicide.

External links

• Official website at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was founded in 1987 by a group of experts on suicide who wanted to create a 5013 organization to fund research in suicide prevention....