WHEREAS,  suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the 2nd leading cause of death among individuals 10 to 34 years of age; and

WHEREAS,  in the United States, one person dies by suicide every 11.14 minutes, resulting in over 47,000 suicides each year; and

WHEREAS,  suicide is the only leading cause of death in the United States that has increased every year for the past decade; and

WHEREAS,  it is estimated that there are over 1.4 million suicide attempts each year; and

WHEREAS,  suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in Maine; on average, one person dies by suicide every 32 hours in Maine; and more than 5 times as many people died by suicide in Maine in 2017 than in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents; and

WHEREAS,  over 90% of the people who die by suicide have a diagnosable and treatable mental health condition, which is often not recognized or treated; and

WHEREAS,  suicide resulted in an estimated $69 billion in combined medical and work loss costs nationally in 2015; and

WHEREAS,  the stigma associated with mental health conditions and suicidality works against suicide prevention by discouraging persons at risk for suicide from seeking life-saving help and further traumatizes survivors of suicide loss and survivors of suicide attempts; and

WHEREAS,  suicide is a preventable national and state public health problem and suicide prevention must be a priority; now, therefore, be it