2022 Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

In honor of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month this September, PRMS is pleased to donate to and highlight two organizations in support of this cause - the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Give an Hour.

If you or someone you know is in a crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 9-9-8. 

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), as shared on their website, works to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide by providing a nationwide support network empowered by research, education, and advocacy. AFSP’s core strategies include: funding scientific research, educating the public about mental health and suicide prevention, advocating for public policies in mental health and suicide, and supporting survivors of suicide loss and those affected by suicide. The voluntary health organization has chapters in all 50 states, a public policy office in Washington, D.C., and programs and events nationwide.

With the school year starting, AFSP suggests the following ways to care for one’s mental health on its website – “therapy, medication, exercise, getting solid sleep, making strategic lifestyle changes, staying connected to others and taking care of overall health.” Helpful methods developed to aid people at risk for suicidal behavior include brief interventions, therapies, and medications. To get support, learn more, and donate, visit www.afsp.org.

Give an Hour

Harnessing the skills and expertise of a national network of volunteers, Give an Hour provides no-cost mental health support to at-risk populations and individuals facing challenges, including trauma during and after military service and natural and man-made disasters. The network of 4,500 licensed volunteer providers has donated more than 373,000 service hours since 2005. As its website states, the organization works to address three main pillars - barriers that prevent access to care, cultural change, and mental health literacy - to give those in need the best chance of receiving the support they deserve. Visit www.giveanhour.org to learn more and support the organization.

PRMS Resources

As a psychiatry-specific professional liability insurance program, PRMS is dedicated to supporting our clients, as well as the greater mental healthcare community. To help psychiatrists protect their practices and patients, our risk management team has also compiled suicide assessment tools and resources, which can be found at www.PRMS.com/Prevention.  

At PRMS, we recognize that over the last two and a half years, physicians have faced unprecedented levels of stress while caring for patients during a pandemic, lockdowns, and ever-changing regulations. We take pride in our efforts to do more for both psychiatrists and all other behavioral healthcare providers, which is why we have developed our physician wellness resource. Just as doctors care for their patients’ wellbeing, it is important that they care for their own health, as well. Visit www.PRMS.com/Wellness for our complimentary physician wellness booklet, "Surviving Pandemic Pandemonium," and additional helpful resources.

To learn more about the superior psychiatry-specific insurance program and comprehensive services offered by PRMS, click here.

Authored by PRMS.