You can help save lives by supporting Didi Hirsch’s Hope & Light Campaign!
Last year, 45,000 Americans died by suicide. That’s 123 people every day. One is too many!
They were teens, veterans and parents. Most of them struggled with depression or other mental health issues but fewer than half received treatment in the past year. Some had prominent jobs and lived in gated communities. Others were unemployed and took shelter on public streets.
Suicide doesn’t discriminate. It affects young and old, rich and poor and people of all ethnicities and religions. Every death has a profound impact on family, friends and acquaintances. And for every suicide, another 25 attempt it, with some suffering life-changing injuries from which they will never fully recover.
Suicides are up 25% across the nation, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The recent suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade brought unprecedented attention to a statistic that otherwise might have been overlooked. When reporters needed to make sense of the trend, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services was there with expert advice on how everyone can learn to recognize and respond to warning signs and help save lives.
You can help save lives by supporting Didi Hirsch.
Dedicated to erasing stigma in communities where poverty or stigma limits access, Didi Hirsch provides free mental health, substance use and suicide prevention services to more than 100,000 children and adults each year.
The Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center was the first in the nation. It was the first to establish 24/7 suicide prevention phone counseling and has been a leader in innovating new strategies and programs for people in crisis since 1958. We are national leaders in crisis services, training and research.
Our suicide crisis line saves lives. In 2017, counselors on Didi Hirsch’s accredited crisis lines answered more than 100,000 calls and chats. More than 3,200 callers who were attempting or at imminent risk of suicide were rescued. In partnership with local hospitals, we also provided follow up services to more than 1,000 people recently discharged for a suicide attempt.
We’re part of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s Network and are one of only two Lifeline members offering 24/7 Spanish coverage. One of just three Lifeline members selected for the national Disaster Distress Helpline, we managed thousands of calls during last year’s hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters.
We provide support for businesses, schools and those left behind. We deliver a full range of services to people affected by suicide– not only to individuals contemplating suicide, but to concerned loved ones and those who have attempted or are grieving a loss.
We are innovators in suicide prevention. We pioneered a bereavement support group model that is used around the world, and developed a treatment model for people who have attempted suicide that we have shared with mental health providers in every state and 30 countries.
We train others to recognize and respond to the warning signs of suicide. Last year we trained or educated more than 16,000 people about suicide. Among them were mental health professionals, police officers, FBI agents, teachers and students. We also educated hundreds of community organizations, businesses, and faith-based groups in suicide prevention.
We can do so much more.
The Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center is moving into a new home. The state-of-the-art facility in Century City will enable us to:
- Meet the increasing demand for our crisis services
- Expand support to other survivors at risk, including children
- Establish a Training Academy for mental health professionals
- Educate more people to recognize and respond to suicide warning signs
- Devote more resources to program development and research
Help us take suicide out of the shadows and into the light. Join us in building a national resource for healing and hope.
Click here to make a donation online or contact us to learn more at:
Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
Development Department
310-751-5455
Development@DidiHirsch.org
Click here to watch a video about the new Suicide Prevention Center.