Health
Fundraiser Walk in Chicago Aims to Raise Awareness for Suicide Prevention
A fundraiser walk in Chicago this weekend aims to bring together people who have been touched by suicide and honor those whose lives have been lost.
The Out of the Darkness Chicagoland Walk, hosted by the Illinois Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Montrose Harbor. The walk is one of hundreds held nationwide to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
Suicide is the 14th leading cause of death of Illinois, and is the third leading cause of death for those in the state between the ages 15 to 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2023, 1,567 people in Illinois died by suicide, according to the CDC.
Educating people about the risk factors, warning signs and where people can get help can help prevent suicide deaths, according to Angela Cummings, executive director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Illinois Chapter.
Risk factors can include a job loss, a relationship loss, a history of mental illness in the family and an undiagnosed mental illness, according to Cummings. Warning signs that someone might be entering a suicidal crisis moment can be grouped by verbal cues, behavior and mood.
Barriers to people getting help can include cost and social stigma, Cummings said.
“Just like any other health condition, mental health, if treated properly, you can get better,” Cummings said. “We just want to make sure that people understand that, know how to get to that care.”
Sean Connolly, board member for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Illinois Chapter, lost his sister Alex to suicide in 2013. Connolly said he thinks of grief as something you carry with you.
“It’s all your memories and all the love you have for that person, pre-loss, through the loss, it’s all the anger, it’s all the sadness you feel, and sometimes you have to engage with the different components of grief,” Connolly said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal ideation, you can call or text 988 to access the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or find help online at 988lifeline.org.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
