Suicide Prevention

As Suicide Prevention Month wraps up, Illinois leaders working in the mental health space urge people to recognize warning signs not just this month, but all year long --- and reach out to people in crisis. They’re also calling on the state to strengthen access to behavioral health services, particularly in rural communities, spreading the message that saving a life starts with connection and conversation.

Gun-related suicides among young adults in Missouri had been declining since at least 1999, according to a new analysis from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. But after the state eliminated its permit-to-purchase requirement in 2007, firearm suicide rates among adults ages 19 to 24 jumped by nearly 22%.

Coleman, a fierce advocate for young sexual assault survivors, took her own life on Tuesday. “She was so brave but she was tired and scared,” her mother wrote on Facebook.