September: National Suicide Awareness Month

Greetings, NSNA members and future colleagues!
             I had an idea for my blog to do National Awareness Month for some of the months of the year, discussing topics that pertain to each month. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. And our students from the past ten years are so wonderful in having submitted resolutions to NSNA about suicide and mental health. Therefore, I’d like to give the highlights of all our spectacular resolutions submitted.
            As we all know from the recent pandemic, Covid-19 inflated the suicide rates especially for the youth of America (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023). This lead to our students from Mineral Area College Student Nurses’ Association in Park Hills, Missouri coming out with a resolution, “In Support of Raising Awareness for Suicide Assessment in Post-Covid 19 Patients.” They provided us with the education and urged us to share with our constituents the risk factors for suicide, promoting awareness, and reassessment of suicide risk. In 2019, a resolution titled, “In Support of Instituting Mental Health Checks in K-12 Public Schools,” was passed by the House of Delegates after being submitted by West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania. They brought shocking research forward that 1 in 6 children in America ages 2-8 are diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. Therefore, they urged NSNA to encourage the United States Department of Education to screen students for mental health concerns twice a year with education presented to the students on mental health topics. By teaching kids about taking care of their mental health early on, perhaps we can decrease the suicide rates as they get older.
Also in 2019, a resolution by Mount Carmel College of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio was accepted by the House of Delegates titled, “Promoting Awareness of Mental Health Conditions Causing Increased Risk of Suicide in Nursing Students.” Their resolution discussed the risk that nursing students are at due to their exposure to adverse events and pain and death often. They urged NSNA to inform their constituents of the increased risk of suicide among us. But we can do more than just inform you. At NSNA, we want to give you the tools to be a nurse that protects their patients, but also protects themselves. This is why NSNA does so much education and discussion on self-care.
If you are struggling, please know that you are not alone. Turn towards a loved one or reach out to a hotline (either phone or text). Call or text 988 24/7 to reach a representative. Or chat using the feature located at suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You are never alone.
 
Yours in service and signing off for now,
Lauren

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References
G. U. I. D. E. I. (n.d.). September is National Suicide Prevention Month. GUIDE, Inc. Retrieved September 17, 2023, from https://guideinc.org/2022/09/01/september-is-national-suicide-prevention-month/
National Institute of Mental Health. (2023, May 22). Youth suicide rates increased during the covid-19 pandemic. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2023/youth-suicide-rates-increased-during-the-covid-19-pandemic