Recognizing suicide as a serious public health problem and expressing support for the designation of September, 2026, as “National Suicide Prevention Month” as well as September 10, 2026, as “World Suicide Prevention Day”.

Recognizing suicide as a serious public health problem and expressing support for the designation of September, 2026, as “National Suicide Prevention Month” as well as September 10, 2026, as “World Suicide Prevention Day”.

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in this preamble referred to as the “CDC”), suicide was among the top 10 leading causes of death for people aged 10 to 64 in 2024;

Whereas, according to the CDC, suicide was the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 34 in 2024;

Whereas, according to the CDC, in 2024, suicide was responsible for 48,824 deaths, or about 1 death every 11 minutes;

Whereas the number of people who think about or attempt suicide is even higher;

Whereas, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (in this preamble referred to as “SAMHSA”) 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report, an estimated 14,300,000 adults had serious thoughts about suicide, 4,600,000 planned a suicide attempt, and 2,200,000 attempted suicide in 2024;

Whereas, according to SAMHSA, 2,600,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 had serious thoughts of suicide, 1,200,000 made a suicide plan, and 700,000 attempted suicide in the previous year;

Whereas, according to SAMHSA, trends among adolescents aged 12 to 17 reporting having serious thoughts about suicide, making a suicide plan, and attempting suicide have decreased from 2021 to 2024;

Whereas estimates among adolescents are likely to be skewed due to additional response options beyond those given to adults;

Whereas according to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (in this preamble referred to as the “VA”) 2026 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, 6,398 veterans died by suicide in 2023;

Whereas, according to the VA, suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death among veterans aged 45 or under and the 12th leading cause of death for veterans overall in 2023;

Whereas, according to the VA, the average number of veterans who died by suicide per day rose from 16.4 in 2001 to 17.5 in 2023;

Whereas, according to the VA, among veterans with documented Veterans Crisis Line contact in 2021, the suicide rate in the following month was 22.5 percent lower than in 2019;

Whereas, according to the VA, the number of veterans who died by suicide in 2023, was lower than in 14 of the previous 15 years, reflecting recent momentum in suicide prevention efforts;

Whereas, according to the National Institutes of Health, men are more likely to die by suicide, as the number of suicide-related deaths was nearly 4 times higher among men than among women in 2024;

Whereas studies show that suicide is one of the leading causes of death during pregnancy until the first year postpartum;

Whereas studies show that suicide is a leading cause of maternal mortality, accounting for up to 20 percent of postpartum deaths in the United States;

Whereas because the widely accepted definition of maternal mortality excludes suicide, actual rates may be higher;

Whereas, according to the CDC, suicide and nonfatal self-harm costs the United States an estimated $500,000,000,000 each year in combined medical, work-loss, and societal value-of-life costs;

Whereas the stigma associated with mental health conditions and suicidal ideation hinders suicide prevention by discouraging at-risk individuals from seeking lifesaving help; and

Whereas September is an appropriate month to designate as “National Suicide Prevention Month,” aligning with “World Suicide Prevention Day” on September 10, 2026, a date recognized internationally and supported by the World Health Organization: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) recognizes suicide as a preventable national public health problem of the United States and each State;

(2) supports the designation of “National Suicide Prevention Month”;

(3) supports the designation of “World Suicide Prevention Day”;

(4) declares suicide prevention as a priority;

(5) acknowledges that no single suicide prevention program or effort will be appropriate for all populations or communities;

(6) recognizes that there is no single cause for suicide and that suicide is most often an impulsive act that occurs during a moment of overwhelming hopelessness and despair;

(7) recognizes that mental health is equally as important as physical health; and

(8) supports the development and implementation of strategies to increase access to quality mental health, substance abuse, and suicide prevention services.