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Rep. Napolitano Hosts Mental Health Briefing: Suicide Prevention 101

May 20, 2010

(Washington D.C.)- Today, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano, co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, held a briefing in Washington, D.C. on the impact of suicide prevention programs on high school students. The briefing featured a suicide prevention training delivered by Dale and Dar Emme, founders of the Yellow Ribbon suicide prevention program, to illustrate the practical application of mental health policies and their significance for their recipients.

“Suicide respects no racial or economic boundary,” Napolitano said. “It can occur anywhere, at any time, and often with little warning for the loved ones who are affected most. Preventing suicide requires widespread attentiveness and intervention. Each of us has to do our part, and the responsibility for policymakers is even greater.”

“For many of these kids, you would never suspect they were troubled. They are often the overachievers, the A students, the ones that others go to for help,” said Dar Emme. “True suicide prevention happens every day. We need to be there to see the risk factors, see the puzzle pieces start to fit together, and take action.”

The Yellow Ribbon program was founded in 1994 after Dale and Dar’s 17-year-old son, Mike Emme, died by suicide. The program has now spread to 48 states and 47 different countries and has saved more than 2,500 lives.

Napolitano has established a mental health and suicide prevention program in 8 schools in her district. In 2008 and 2009, a third of children entering the program had previously attempted suicide, but in the 9 years of the program’s operation no students have been lost.

Napolitano has authored HR 2531, the Mental Health in Schools Act, to create similar programs in schools across the United States, and she urged the audience of congressional staff to consider the lessons of the Yellow Ribbon program when forming policy.

“The Mental Health in Schools Act gives schools the resources to detect troubled youth early on, before mental health issues spiral out of control,” Napolitano said. “It places the eyes and ears of professional counselors in schools, where the signs and stressors of mental health issues appear first. Supporting mental health makes our kids happier, more productive and ultimately saves lives.”

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The briefing was the third held by the Mental Health Caucus this month, after Children’s Mental Health Day on May 6 and Military Mental Health Programs on May 13.

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