[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 151 (Thursday, November 18, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8051-S8052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE DAY

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, each November we set aside a day of 
healing for those who have lost someone to suicide. I rise today to 
again recognize Saturday, November 20 as National Survivors of Suicide 
Day. In 1999, a Senate resolution created this annual event through the 
efforts of Senator Harry Reid who lost his father to suicide. This 
year, on November 20, over 270 conferences will take place in the U.S. 
and around the world to allow survivors of suicide the opportunity to 
connect with others who have experienced the tragedy of suicide loss 
and to allow for healing interactions.
  The importance of this day is amplified by the shocking statistics on 
suicide--suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United 
States. Nationwide, approximately 90 lives are lost to suicide each day 
and over 34,000 die by suicide each year. Suicide is truly an epidemic 
that devastates thousands of families in the United States each year.
  In my State of South Dakota, one suicide occurs every 3 to 4 days and 
107 lives are lost each year. These statistics place South Dakota among 
a group of Western States that consistently has a higher rate of 
suicide than the rest of the country. Suicide is the fourth leading 
cause of death among all South Dakotans and is the second leading cause 
of death of South Dakotans between the ages of 15-34. Suicide among 
American Indians in South Dakota is of particular concern--the suicide 
rate for American Indians ages 15-34 is more than three times higher 
than the national average and the suicide rate for

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the Rosebud Sioux Tribe is the highest in the world.
  Last year, 16-year-old Dana Lee Jetty, a tribal member from the 
Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation in North Dakota, who lost her 14-year-old 
sister to suicide spoke before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs:

       We need to make sure that our communities and our people 
     know how to reach out for help if they need it and we need to 
     make sure that the help is there when they ask.

  We must take Ms. Jetty's words to heart and provide tribes with the 
resources they need to implement effective suicide prevention programs. 
It is critical to strengthen the social fabric to help improve mental 
health with effective and culturally sensitive prevention programs.
  It is necessary to expand access to mental health services 
nationwide, including a focus on education, prevention and 
intervention. Furthermore, we need to acknowledge the obstacles that 
suicide survivors face during their grieving and encourage the 
involvement of survivors in healing activities and prevention programs. 
I believe with appropriate support and treatment, suicide survivors can 
lead effective advocacy efforts to reduce the incidence of suicide and 
find healing themselves.
  The loss of so many lives to suicide is truly a crisis, and it is 
imperative to provide support for all those left behind. It is my hope 
that National Suicide Survivors Day will promote the broad based 
support that each survivor deserves and increase awareness of the need 
for greater efforts in addressing the root causes of suicide in Indian 
Country and throughout the Nation.

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