History
of Suicide Prevention
1958:
Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center
opens, funded by the U.S. Public Health Service and
directed by Edwin Shneidman.
1966:
Center for the Study of Suicide Prevention
(later renamed the Suicide Prevention Research Unit)
established at the National Institute of Mental Health.
1968:
American Association of Suicidology
founded by Edwin Shneidman.
1983:
CDC Violence Prevention Unit
(later subsumed into the National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control) established; focuses public
attention on an increase in the rate of youth suicide.
1985:
Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide established
to review the problem of youth suicide and recommend
actions.
1987:
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
founded.
1989:
Report
of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide published
by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
1996:
Prevention Action Network (SPAN) USA
founded with the goal of preventing suicide through
public education, community action, and advocacy.
1996:
Prevention
of Suicide: Guidelines for the Formulation and
Implementation of National Strategies
published by the World Health Organization and the
United Nations, with the participation of a number of
agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
1998:
National Suicide Prevention Conference
held in Reno, Nevada as a response to the WHO/UN
publication. This public/private partnership created an
expert panel that issued 81 recommendations.
1999:
Surgeon
General's Call to Action to Prevent Suicide
published, which consolidated the National Suicide
Prevention Conference's recommendations, including the
creation of a National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
2001:
National
Strategy for Suicide Prevention
published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. It outlined a coherent national plan to
enhance the suicide prevention infrastructure, including
the creation of a technical assistance and resource
center.
2002:
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
established at Education Development Center, Inc. with
funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration.
2002:
Reducing
Suicide: A National Imperative
published by the Institute of Medicine of the National
Academies of Science. This publication examined and
summarized the state of knowledge about suicide and the
state of the art of suicide prevention.
2003:
Achieving
the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America
published by the President's New Freedom Commission on
Mental Health.
2004:
Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act
passed by the U.S. Congress to support and enhance youth
suicide prevention efforts in the states, among
tribal nations and at colleges and universities.
2004:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
(1-800-273-TALK) funded by the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services.
2005:
The Department of Labor, Heath and Human Services, and
Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of
2006 which
appropriates a total of $30 million for suicide
prevention was signed into law.
2006:
The SAMHSA Program Priority Matrix
was updated to include suicide prevention as one of the
matrix priorities.
2006:
Federal Working Group on Suicide Prevention established.
Representatives from SAMHSA, Centers for Disease
Control, National Institute on Mental Health, Indian
Health Services, Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs
and other federal agencies.
Source: Suicide Prevention Resource Center
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