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
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.
