On the 1st of November 2008, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will be having their Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Tropical Park in the city of Miami, Florida. The Out of the Darkness Community Walk will take place at 9:00AM Miami Time.

The purpose of this walk is to address the problem of suicide in the United States. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a person commits suicide every 16 minutes which results in the loss of more than 31,000 lives, and 1 million people attempting suicide annually. Suicide has been known to be the forth leading cause of death among adults between the age of 18 to 65, the third leading cause of death in teens/young adults, and adults age 65 and over.

What are the causes of suicide? The National Institute for Mental Health [with research] has revealed that the following criteria for suicide exists:

1. Depression/ Mental Disorder/ Substance Abuse

2. Stressful Life Events

3. Prior Suicide Attempt

4. Family History of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse

5. Family History of Suicide

6. Family Violence which includes Physical and Sexual Abuse

7. Firearms in the Home

8. Incarceration

9. Exposure to the Suicidal Behaviour of others including family, friends, peers, and media figures.

Those who are interested in taking a stand against suicide and in favour of living life to the fullest can find more information at http://outofthedarkness.org and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The following is the address:

American Association For Suicide Prevention

120 Wall Street 22nd Floor

New York New York 10005

1-888-AFSP [2377] X 23

Another place where people who are suicidal or have a friend or relative who is suicidal can go to is the National Suicide Prevention Hotline [in the USA] which is 1-800-273-TALK. Many people say that a mind is a terrible thing to waste. I also say that life is terrible to be discarded. I invite people to say NO to Suicide and YES to Life.