Statements
Mission
To save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.
Background
In 1987, a small group of caring individuals had a vision: establish a private source of support for suicide research and education, and essential suicide prevention efforts could be sustained into the future. These founding families?each of whom had lost a someone to suicide?joined with scientists to create what today is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, or AFSP.Many of our original founders were concerned about an alarming rise in youth suicide over the previous four decades. During this period, the suicide of young men had tripled while for young women it had doubled. Suicide is currently the third leading cause of death among young people age 15 to 24. The highest overall rates of suicide are for adults age 40 to 59.Before AFSP, there was no national-scope not-for-profit organization dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy.Since its founding in 1987, AFSP has:Mobilized and connected tens of thousands of people who have lost a family member, loved one, or friend to suicideReached thousands of individuals who are at risk for suicide, as well as those who love and care for themAttracted the participation of members of the scientific and clinical communities, who conduct groundbreaking research on suicide and its prevention with support from AFSPEstablished local chapters in all 50 statesEducated hundreds of local communities about suicide and how to prevent itCreated a public policy and lobbying arm by merging successfully with an existing national policy organization, thus enabling AFSP to press for legislation and policies at the federal, state and local levels that advance the goal of preventing suicideSubstantially increased our funding from individual donors, including the thousands of highly motivated individuals who participate in our Out of the Darkness WalksEducated reporters and the media about how to best cover suicideCommunicated with hundreds of thousands of individuals through our website, social media, brochures, speakers and efforts to generate press coverage
Impact
Established in 1987, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death. AFSP is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health by engaging in the following core strategies: Funding scientific research Educating the public about mental health and suicide prevention Advocating for public policies in mental health and suicide prevention Supporting survivors of suicide loss and those affected by suicide in our mission AFSP is committed to reducing the suicide rate 20% by 2015 by concentrating on four areas of focus: Large Healthcare Settings (Primary care and behavioral health) Emergency Departments Firearms and Suicide Prevention Criminal Justice Settings To achieve this goal, AFSP will analyze where the burden is the greatest, identify science-based strategies with potential to make greatest, fastest impact on mortality, use dynamic modeling to create a plan of action, with measureable objectives, and engage strategic partners to collaborate, lead, and fund one or more strategies.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Mental Health & Crisis Intervention - Mental Health & Crisis Intervention NEC |
| Secondary Category: | Education - |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
AFSP serves communities across the entire state of Tennessee.
| TN |
| TN - Williamson |
| National |
| TN - Cannon |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Clay |
| TN - Coffee |
| TN - Cumberland |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - DeKalb |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Fentress |
| TN - Franklin |
| TN - Giles |
| TN - Hickman |
| TN - Houston |
| TN - Humphreys |
| TN - Jackson |
| TN - Lawrence |
| TN - Lewis |
| TN - Lincoln |
| TN - Macon |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Moore |
| TN - Overton |
| TN - Perry |
| TN - Pickett |
| TN - Putnam |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Smith |
| TN - Stewart |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Trousdale |
| TN - Van Buren |
| TN - Warren |
| TN - Wayne |
| TN - White |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Bedford |
