Mental Health Notes Etc-Nov 29,2008

MENTAL HEALTH NOTES ETCETERA-Nov. 29,2008

What is the National Council?

As a 501[c][3] not for profit association, the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare envisions a nation where everyone has access to effective mental health and addictions treatment and the supports essential to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities.

Every day, more than 1,400 member organizations of the National Council touch the lives of millions of adults, children, and families with mental illnesses and addiction disorders.. The National Council offers a critical safety net to our nation’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens. It will continue to support its members’ work by advocating for policies that help the people they serve receive accessible, high-quality care.

Mental Health America

Fact sheet: suicide

No matter the race or age of the person, how rich or how poor they are, it is true that most

people who commit suicide have a mental or emotional disorder. The most common underlying disorder is depression, 30% to 70% of suicide victims suffer from major depression or bipolar [manic -depressive] disorder.

The statistics of suicide

1] Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in United States, accounting for more than 1% of all deaths

2] More years of life are lost to suicide than to any other single cause except heart disease and cancer

3] 30,000 Americans commit suicide annually; an additional 500,000 Americans attempt suicide annually

4] The actual ratio of attempts to completed suicides is at least 10 to 1

5] 30% to 40% of persons who commit suicide have made a previous attempt

6] The risk of completed suicide is more than 100 times greater than average in the first year after an attempt

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