[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 135 (Thursday, September 8, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H5169-H5170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to follow my 
good friend, Dr. Murphy, on the floor. I appreciate his tireless 
efforts in terms of mental health and of suicide prevention. I was 
pleased this week to introduce with him legislation to recognize 
September as National Suicide Prevention Month.
  We have this ritual of designating certain days, weeks, and months in 
honor of issues that can be momentous and sometimes arcane, but this 
one is existential.
  We are looking at a time of great division not just in Congress but 
in American society. Suicide prevention ought to be a great unifier. We 
lose five lives every hour to a cause that is usually treatable and 
often preventable. The nature of the suicide epidemic, which has been 
increasing every year for the last decade, has the power to unite and 
bring people together to make a difference.
  I applaud him for his work on the mental health legislation. I hope 
that we are all encouraged and emboldened, particularly as relates to 
our veterans, and his work there is commendable.
  We are losing a veteran almost every hour to suicide. It is also the 
second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 34, yet 
people who commit suicide almost always show symptoms that could be 
diagnosed and treated.
  In addition to the tragic disruption on individuals and families, it 
is estimated that suicide results in $44 billion in combined economic 
and work costs. It is a national crisis and a tragedy that has touched 
almost every family I know.
  The area of suicide prevention is one of shared passions that can 
contribute to solutions. For mental health professionals, it is rich 
with possibilities. If you are concerned about gun violence, this is an 
area of opportunity. Those who attempt suicide with a firearm are 
successful about 85 percent of the time.

[[Page H5170]]

  Drug and alcohol abuse is a factor in many cases. Due to the 
underlying substance abuse or issues, individual actions can be clouded 
by the influence of drug or alcohol when suicide is attempted.
  There is a role for each and every one of us to play as advocates, as 
individuals, for treatment and suicide prevention counseling, recovery, 
and to support the grief of the family members left behind.
  I am excited about the network of organizations across the country, 
often with major volunteer input, who are making a difference. I 
visited one recently in my community, Lines for Life, that has 
volunteers manning 24-hour phone lines to help people in a time of 
crisis.

                              {time}  1045

  It is overseen by licensed clinicians. This one volunteer-driven 
organization handles nearly 55,000 calls per year, offering immediate 
assistance to people who want to overcome substance abuse, prevent 
suicide, and find treatment for happier, more productive lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful that we will, in fact, designate September 
as Suicide Prevention Month, but that every month will be Suicide 
Prevention Month and that we will all rededicate ourselves to combating 
this epidemic that touches lives in every one of our communities.

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