As those in Washington County have felt the impact of loss due to suicide, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach wants to remind residents of resources available.

September is recognized as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and the Washington County Extension office offers resources to help those struggling with mental health. ISU Human Sciences Specialist Dawn Dunnegan explains that one of the most important aspects in helping others is to not leave them alone and bring in others to help, “This is so that they can also help support the individual that we might be concerned about. They can add a layer of safety and protection and help to ensure that this individual is not left alone as we might not be able to be with them 24/7. So by involving others it helps put some protection around the person we’re concerned about.”

Suicide has become the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-34 and 10th leading cause of death overall in the United States, according to NAMI. Forty-six percent of those who die by suicide had also been diagnosed with a mental health condition with research showing that 90% of individuals had experienced symptoms of an unhealthy mental state. The Iowa Concern Hotline, offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is free to anyone 24/7 and grants confidential access to stress counselors, information and referral services for a wide variety of topics. To reach Iowa Concern, call 800-447-1985 and language interpretation services are available. For those facing a crisis, you are encouraged to call the mobile crisis response line at 319-653-2930. For more information on resources available and how you can help your community, visit here.