Fresh Word Teaches QPR Suicide Prevention and is a member of the American Association of Suicidology.

The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) was founded by clinical psychologist Edwin S. Shneidman, Ph.D. in 1968.  Dr. Shneidman, former director of the LA Suicide Prevention Center, was appointed co-director of The Center for Suicide Prevention at the National Institute of Mental Health(NIMH) in Bethesda, MD.  There he had the opportunity to closely observe the limited available knowledge-base regarding suicide and vowed to change things.

Under the sponsorship of the NIMH, he organized a meeting of several world-renowned scholars, determined the need for and fathered a national organization devoted to research, education, and practice in "suicidology," and advancing suicide prevention. 

Membership in the AAS provides Fresh Word Ministries with valuable tools to assist others in helping to stop this growing cancer in our society and dealing with its after affects.

According to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

• An estimated 8.3 million adults aged 18 or older had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, 2.3 million made a suicide plan, and 1.1 million attempted suicide
• Young adults aged 18 to 25 were more likely than adults aged 26 to 49 and those aged 50 or older to have had serious thoughts of suicide, to have made any plans for suicide, and to have attempted suicide.
• Of the adults who attempted suicide in the past year, 62.3 percent received medical attention for their suicide attempts, and 46.0 percent stayed overnight or longer in a hospital for their suicide attempts.

QPR stands for Question, Persuade and Refer, an emergency mental health intervention for suicidal persons created by Paul Quinnett, and first described in 1995 via presentations and publications by the QPR Institute. Suicidal people often send warning signs that they are in trouble. To save a life from suicide, one can learn these warning signs and how to respond with a positive, bold, life-saving intervention.

QPR is an evidence based suicide prevention program. In as little as one hour, individuals can learn to recognize the warning signs of suicide and how to apply these three simple steps that may save a life.

Supported by 1-800-SUICIDE, QPR is the most widely taught suicide prevention gatekeeper training program in the United States with more than 300,000 persons trained to date.

QPR training includes information on:

• The problem of suicide nationally and in Indiana
• Common myths and facts associated with suicide
• Warning signs of suicide
• Tips for asking the suicide question
• Methods for persuading suicidal individuals to get help
• Ways of referring at risk people to local resources
• Time for Questions and Answers

Please, call today to arrange a seminar for your group, or for information on how we can help those who have been touched by suicide or know someone that may be at risk. It may be the most important call you ever make.