Urging support for the first-ever statewide Office of Suicide Prevention
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people ages 15-24 in the United States.
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. The bottom of this article provides resources towards suicide prevention.
Wednesday morning, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) joined Assemblymember James Ramos (D-Highland) to urge support for first-ever statewide suicide prevention entity.
"The establishment of a dedicated Office of Suicide Prevention will allow California to implement coordinated suicide prevention strategies and focus resources on vulnerable populations, those most at-risk such as our youth, veterans, communities of color, and LGBTQ youth and adults," stated Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia.
Dave Muth is a resident of the Coachella Valley. He lost his nephew in 2007 to suicide. In 2015, two weeks shy of her 20th birthday, he lost his daughter Madeline to suicide. He said, "My daughter struggled with depression and anxiety and suicidal idealization. As a result of that we became volunteers with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention." His goal is to put an end to suicide as he continues to advocate for suicide prevention.
He emphasized, "Our lawmakers are working for us and we are moving forward which is a very positive thing."
Garcia said the purpose of this bill is, "To ensure that the state of CA has an actual office that helps coordinate and collaborate with all of the entities that we recognize from our communities that are working on suicide prevention.”
A weekly survey taken by the U.S. Census Bureau from April to July showed 44% of California adults reported levels of anxiety and gloom. Nationally, that percentage stands at 41%. Compared to last year, this number has spiked significantly. During a similar survey in 2019, results showed 11% of adults had these same symptoms. Garcia added, "Now more than ever with this pandemic we have seen an increase with mental health issues across the board."
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Garcia is hoping to get Assembly Bill 2112 on the governor's desk to begin studying and addressing the crisis of suicide.
Click the following link to see details of Bill AB-2112 Suicide Prevention.
Muth said, The ultimate goal is to provide people who may be going through mental illness or depression or anxiety to get the help that they need, because suicide is preventable." Muth urges people to understand the warning signs of prevention, to have compassion, and to listen to others.
The website for Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides the warning signs and different risk factors to look out for. Some of those warning signs include, extreme mood swings, talking about feeling hopeless, talking about being a burden to others, increased use of alcohol or drugs, along with other signs that you can find by going to:
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/how-we-can-all-prevent-suicide/
For more information:
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center
News Channel 3's Taban Sharifi will have the full story tonight all new at 6 p.m. on News Channel 3.
