Two weeks to go

2 weeks until the Out of the Darkness Community Walk that I will be participating in (with my mom, Ryan, and a TON of other people). Thanks for all of the support that I have received thus far; to date my support is over $950 - WOW! This isn't just about the funds raised (although they will go to an amazing cause), but it is also about educating the community about suicide and suicide prevention. If you have a minute, visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's website here and learn a little more.

A few general facts about suicide:

Over 30,000 people in the United States die by suicide every year.
In 2004 (latest available date), there were 32,439 reported suicide deaths.
Suicide is fourth leading cause of death for adults between the ages of 18 and 65 years in the U.S., with approximately 26,500 suicides.
Currently, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.
A person dies by suicide about every 16 minutes in the U.S. An attempt is estimated to be made once every minute.
Ninety percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death.
There are four male suicides for every female suicide, but twice as many females as males attempt suicide.
Every day, approximately 80 Americans take their own life, and 1,500 more attempt to do so.