With a notable focus on mental health and extended community outreach, the concerted effort surrounding suicide prevention provides new hope to those who need it most.

With National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month arriving in September, there is sure to be extra attention put on mental health and how local organizations are offering support through counseling, various programming and more. But the truth is, suicide prevention is a year-round fight and it’s vital to recognize that the efforts don’t stop when the calendar flips to October.

Nonetheless, National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month provides a great opportunity to reach out to the community to alter perceptions, share new information and provide hope to those most in need of it.

Dr. Marcia T. Norman is a clinical psychologist who operates Positive Change Counseling. In recent years, she’s noticed a large uptick in people feeling isolated and lonely, and fears the problem could become more widespread if societal changes aren’t made.

“I would argue that loneliness is the new pandemic,” she says. “It seems the more we are electronically connected, the less we are personally connected. People were not meant to be isolated: We naturally crave connection from birth. I hope to see an increase in socialization in the future—we cannot sustain a society with this level of intense aloneness.”

One local nonprofit that is making a noticeable impact in the community is Zebra Youth, which primarily focuses on mental health counseling and housing support for the LGBTQIA+ youth population between 13 and 24 years old.

“LGBTQ+ youth historically and nationally are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. And trans and nonbinary youth are the most vulnerable within that population. So we know it’s a very serious and prominent issue in the population we serve for many reasons, mostly due to social acceptance and the environment they are in,” says Heather Wilkie, executive director.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is the 12th-leading cause of death overall in the United States. The numbers become even more startling when you factor in that it’s the second-leading cause of death among people aged 10-14, and the third-leading cause among those aged 15-24.

Thankfully, the emphasis on mental health in recent years has shined a spotlight on the issue and made conversations for some a bit easier to have. It also helps that many athletes, celebrities and others in the public eye have shared their own personal struggles in hopes of inspiring others to seek the help and support they so desperately need.

“The truth is we are all human, and we all struggle with feelings and moods at times. There isn’t a person in the world who hasn’t experienced anxiety,” says Norman.

Wilkie echoes this sentiment. She also believes that the stigma surrounding suicide and mental illness has decreased while both the ease of access to and availability of support systems has increased. As a result, “people are becoming more understanding, at least I hope, about the need for more mental health services.”

The broader hope is that as those barriers continue to break down and more folks lean into seeking help, there will some amazing stories of triumph to share with others.

“There are a lot of sad stories, but there’s also a lot of resilience. People see those success stories and they latch onto our mission and they want to do something about it,” says Wilkie.

Norman encourages anyone who is suffering to not go it alone, as well as seek professional help. As she puts it, therapists like herself are trained to help people break free from the pain they are feeling, and are ready, willing and able to offer their support.

“I think of therapists as first responders—we run into your emotional fires and put them out,” she says. “And we love to do it! I have seen so many people come back from a dark place and create a life of fulfillment and joy. There’s no shame in creating a better life for yourself.”