The Tennesse Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN) is hosting events across the state as part of this year’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month observance.

The organization is also collecting Suicide Prevention Awareness Month proclamations from city and county mayors across the state, to be presented at a Suicide Prevention Awareness Day event on Sept. 10 in Nashville.

According to the TSPN website, suicide in DeKalb County declined between 2008 and 2012.

The number of suicides in in the county in 2008 was nine, for a rate of 48.1 per 100,000. In 2012, the latest available yearly numbers, DeKalb's number of suicide deaths was three, for a rate of 15.9 per 100,000. The statewide rate for that year was 14.8 per 100,000 population.

TSPN feels that even though the rate has declined, even one death is too many.

Jodi Bartlett and Mark Allison of Volunteer Behavioral Health in Cookeville presented County Mayor Tim Stribling and Smithville Mayor Jimmy Poss with proclamations declaring September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Both mayors signed the documents.

The mission of Volunteer Behavioral Health is to serve individuals, families and communities through prevention, treatment and recovery services, ensuring that help today leads to a better tomorrow.

According to the website, Smith County recorded the highest suicide rate for the state in 2012.

Here's how the Upper Cumberland district ranked for that year.

Smith 41.9 per 100,000 (8 deaths)

Cannon 28.9 (4)

Cumberland 28.1 (16)

Jackson 26.2 (3)

Fentress 22.3 (4)

Pickett 19.7 (1)

Overton 18 (4)

Macon 17.8 (4)

DeKalb 15.9 (3)

Putnam 9.6 (7)

Warren 7.5 (3)

Van Buren 0

White 0

Clay 0

In Tennessee, an estimated 900 men, women, and children die by suicide each year. More people die by suicide each year than from homicide, AIDS, or drunk driving. Suicide is the leading cause of violent deaths in our state, nationally, and worldwide, far above homicide and death due to natural disasters.

Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among youth and young adults ages 15-24 in Tennessee and throughout the entire nation. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, there were 938 recorded suicide deaths in our state in 2012, at a rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people.

In almost all cases, suicide can be traced to unrecognized, untreated, or poorly treated mental illness. It can happen to people of either sex, any race or ethnicity, and any economic status. The average suicide death leaves behind six survivors—family and friends of the deceased—all of who are at increased risk for a suicide attempt themselves. As if the emotional and psychological toll were not enough, suicide and suicide attempts cost the state of Tennessee $1 billion a year in medical treatment, lost wages, and lost productivity.

The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN) and its allies in the public health, mental health, and social service fields are joining forces to recognize the month of September as Suicide

Prevention Awareness Month. During this annual observance, TSPN and its allies arrange several educational and memorial events across Tennessee. These projects help teach the general public about the problem of suicide and how it can be prevented.

They also give us an opportunity to remember those lost to suicide; to encourage survivors of suicide, survivors of suicide attempts, and people who have triumphed over mental illness; and to recognize individuals who have made notable contributions to suicide prevention efforts in our state.

As part of this observance, mayors and county executives across Tennessee have received proclamations declaring September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, which they will sign in support of our state’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month efforts. These proclamations will be presented at the annual Suicide Prevention Awareness Day event, scheduled for 10:30 AM on Sept. 10 at Trevecca Community Church, located at 335 Murfreesboro Pike in Nashville.

Details about the Suicide Prevention Awareness Day observance and other events planned across the state will be announced on the TSPN website (www.tspn.org). Additional information about Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is available from the TSPN central office at (615) 297-1077

You are never alone. Help is available 24/7. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) if you’re thinking about suicide.