Agency Details:

American Foundation For Suicide Prevention

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is the leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research and education, and to reaching out to people with mood disorders and those impacted by suicide.

Description:
To fully achieve its mission, AFSP engages in the following Six Core Strategies:

-Fund scientific research.
-Offer educational programs for professionals.
-Educates the public about mood disorders and suicide prevention.
-Promote policies and legislation that impact suicide and prevention.
-Provide programs and resources for survivors of suicide loss and involves them in the work of the Foundation
-Provide programs and resources for people with mood disorders and their families, and involve them in the work of the Foundation.

History:
In 1987, a number of leading experts on suicide came together with business and community leaders and survivors of suicide to form AFSP, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. They believed that only a combined effort would make it possible to fund the research necessary for progress in the prevention of suicide. Such an approach has proven successful with heart disease, cancer and diabetes and it was hoped that it would be successful in dealing with depression and suicide.

Many of our original founders were concerned with the alarming rise in youth suicide over the past four decades. During this period, the suicide of young men had tripled; that of young women had doubled. Suicide is now the second major cause of death among high school and college students.

Suicide is even more frequent among older people. The highest rates are found in men over 50. Before the AFSP was formed, there was no national not-for-profit organization dedicated to funding the research, education and treatment programs necessary to prevent suicide. Over the past 20 years, we have changed that.

Contact person: Janice Hurtado Aeppli, Central Division Director, (phone), (email)

Main office number: (312) 402-2006

Address:

---- -----, TX ---- (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.afsp.org

Directions:

Volunteering will not be done at office.

Last updated on February 25, 2009