ABOUT US
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the West Orange Suicide Advocacy Coalition (WOSAC) is to gather and streamline public education, supportive services, training, and intervention resources related to suicides in the Township of West Orange.
Our work acknowledges that suicide is a public health issue. Suicide does not have one single cause. Multiple factors, alone or in combination, including but not limited to substance abuse and untreated depression can increase the risk of suicide.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
WOSAC GOALS ARE:
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Create materials (i.e., brochures) that aid schools, families, and police officers who respond to suicide calls and attempts.
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Increase access to resources (more support groups and information shared in the community).
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Support more public conversation (about risks and related suicide information).
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Increase support group attendance.
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Reduce suicide rate in and around West Orange (the current rate does not increase).
NATIONAL STATISTICS
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for all ages (Centers for Disease Control, 2019).
- Every day, approximately 123 Americans die by suicide (Centers for Disease Control, 2019).
- There is one death by suicide in the US every 12 minutes (Centers for Disease Control, 2019).
- Depression affects 20-25% of Americans ages 18+ in a given year (Centers for Disease Control, 2019).
- Suicide takes the lives of over 44,965 Americans every year (Centers for Disease Control, 2019).
- The highest suicide rates in the US are among Whites, American Indians and Alaska Natives (Centers for Disease Control, 2019).
- An estimated quarter million people each year become suicide survivors (American Association of Suicidology, 2019).
- There is one suicide for every estimated 25 suicide attempts (Centers for Disease Control, 2019).
- There is one suicide for every estimated 4 suicide attempts in the elderly (Centers for Disease Control, 2019).
- Based on the 2017 Youth Risk Behaviors Survey, 7.4 % of youth in grades 9-12 reported that they had made at least one suicide attempt in the past 12 months.
- Female students attempted almost twice as often as male students (9.3% vs. 5.1%). Black students reported the highest rate of attempt (9.8%) with white students at 6.1 %.
- Approximately 2.4 % of all students reported making a suicide attempt that required treatment by a doctor or nurse. For those requiring treatment, rates were highest for Black students (3.4%). (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention).