International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is a day when people who are affected by suicide loss gather in their local communities for healing, support, information and empowerment.
The 2017 International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day program, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, will take place from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving), in the Buffalo Psychiatric Center's Butler Rehabilitation Center Auditorium on the center's main campus, 400 Forest Ave., Buffalo.
Doors will open at noon. A light lunch will be served. There is no fee, but registration is requested. To register or for more information, call 716-816-2011 or email
[email protected].
"The Buffalo Psychiatric Center is pleased and proud to host this event for the tenth year," said Executive Director Celia Spacone, Ph.D. "We want people to know that, if someone you love has died by suicide, you are not alone. Sadly, there are many others who share your loss, sorrow and, perhaps, questions. This event is an opportunity for survivors to share their grief, reach out for support, and support others."
This year's program includes a screening of "The Journey: a Story of Healing and Hope" followed by "The Journey Revisited." Both documentaries tell the stories of a diverse group of suicide loss survivors, how they have weathered the suicide of a loved one, and how they are finding their way back to a life rich in meaning - and even joy.
A local panel discussion will follow the broadcast. Included on the panel will be family members who have lost relatives to suicide, a mental health clinician, and others who have been affected by suicide loss. Event organizers said caring for those left behind in the aftermath of a suicide is an essential part of suicide prevention, because suicide loss survivors who are left to grieve alone are at greater risk for suicide themselves.
According to the AFSP, suicide claims more lives than war, murder and national disasters combined. Worldwide, suicide is a leading cause of death.
Every year families and friends across America lose more 42,000 loved ones to suicide.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is a national voluntary organization, established in 1987, that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education, and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death. The AFSP funds scientific research, educates the public about mental health and suicide prevention, advocates for public policies on mental health and suicide prevention, and supports survivors of suicide loss and those affected by suicide.
The Saturday before Thanksgiving was designated National Survivors of Suicide Day by an act of Congress in 1999 and since then has been supported by the AFSP. Last year, there were more than 350 locally organized events throughout the U.S. and around the world.
