Out
of the Darkness Walk to Raise Funds for Suicide Prevention, Nov. 6
On Saturday, November 6, local families and community
members will attend Houston’s 5th annual Out of the Darkness
Community Walk to raise much needed funds and awareness for
suicide prevention. The walk is being held at Stude Park,1030 Stude
Street in the Heights, from 10 AM to 1 PM. Money raised will go towards
vital research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives,
increase national awareness about depression and suicide and provide
support for survivors of suicide loss.
Suicide is an issue rarely discussed, despite the fact
that in the U.S. close to one million people make a suicide
attempt each year, and every 16 minutes someone dies by suicide each
year. It carries with it a stigma and most people are unaware of how
prevalent it is in our society. Suicide affects all age groups and
socioeconomic backgrounds. Suicide is the 11th cause of death overall
and the second leading cause of death for college students, yet funding
for mental illnesses and suicide research is disproportionately low.
According to scientific research, more than 90 percent of people who die
by suicide have an underlying mental disorder at the time of their
death, most often depression, bipolar disorder and/or substance abuse.
Stephanie Thrift, a local mother who lost her eighteen
year old son Kevin to suicide, said her reason for walking is to raise
awareness and to help eliminate to stigma attached to mental illness.
“We want to get the word out that when people are depressed or
suffering from mental illness, they can get the professional help they
need before it escalates to suicide.”
For more information including how to register, log
onto www.outofthedarkness.org.
