BILL NUMBER: HR 36	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 27, 2010

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Torres

                        AUGUST 18, 2010

   Relative to Suicide Prevention Week.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
             HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST



   WHEREAS, Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United
States; and
   WHEREAS, Suicide is the third leading cause of death among
individuals who are 15 to 24, inclusive, years of age in the United
States; and
   WHEREAS, In the United States, one person completes suicide every
15.2 minutes; and
   WHEREAS, It is estimated that 4.6 million people in the United
States, known as survivors of suicide, have lost a loved one to
suicide; and
   WHEREAS, Fifty and two-tenths percent of people who die by suicide
use a firearm; and 
   WHEREAS, Guns stored in the house are used for suicide 40 times
more often than for self-protection; and 
   WHEREAS, An increase in the overall suicide rate in the United
States was seen in 2007, representing a change in the recent pattern
of stability or slight declines; and
   WHEREAS, The suicide rate for individuals who are 15 to 24,
inclusive, years of age has more than doubled since the mid-1950s;
and
   WHEREAS, Suicide rates remain highest for adults 75 years of age
or older; and
   WHEREAS, In 2007, suicide was the third leading cause of death for
Hispanic Americans 15 to 24, inclusive, years of age, the third
leading cause of death for Hispanic Americans 25 to 34, inclusive,
years of age, and the 13th leading cause of death for Hispanic
Americans of all ages; and
   WHEREAS, In 2007, 18 percent of Hispanic adolescents reported
seriously considering attempting suicide in the last 12 months, which
is a proportion higher than reported by their non-Hispanic
classmates; and
   WHEREAS, Although rates of completed suicide among Hispanic youth
are lower than those for non-Hispanic youth, schoolaged Hispanic
youth self-report higher rates of feeling sad or hopeless, of
thinking about suicide, and of attempting suicide; and
   WHEREAS, The stigma associated with mental illness and suicidality
works against suicide prevention by discouraging persons at risk for
suicide from seeking life-saving help and further traumatizes
survivors of suicide; and
   WHEREAS, Statewide suicide prevention efforts should be developed
and encouraged to the maximum extent possible; and
   WHEREAS, Organizations such as the American Association of
Suicidology, that are dedicated to reducing the frequency of suicide
attempts and death and the pain of survivors of suicide through
educational programs, research programs, intervention services, and
bereavement services, urge the following:
   (a) Recognition of suicide as a national and state public health
problem and the declaration of suicide prevention as a statewide
priority.
   (b) Acknowledgement that no single suicide prevention program or
effort will be appropriate for all populations or communities.
   (c) Encouragement of initiatives based on the goals contained in
the National Strategy Prevention, which include all of the following:

   (1) Promotion of awareness of suicide as a public health problem
that is preventable.
   (2) Development of broadbased support for suicide prevention.
   (3) Development and implementation of strategies to reduce the
stigma associated with being a consumer of mental health, substance
abuse, and suicide prevention services.
   (4) Development and implementation of community-based suicide
prevention programs.
   (5) Development and implementation of community-based suicide
bereavement support services.
   (6) Promotion of efforts to reduce access to lethal means and
methods of self-harm.
   (7) Implementation of training for the recognition of at-risk
behavior and for the delivery of effective treatment.
   (8) Development and promotion of effective clinical and
professional practices.
   (9) An increase in access to, and community linkages with, mental
health and substance abuse services.
   (10) Improvement in reporting and portrayals of suicidal behavior,
mental illness, and substance abuse in the entertainment and news
media.
   (11) Promotion and support of research on suicide and suicide
prevention.
   (12) Improvement and expansion of surveillance systems for
suicidal behavior; and
   WHEREAS, A great many suicides are preventable; now, therefore, be
it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the
Members of the Assembly hereby proclaim September 5 through September
11, 2010, as "Suicide Prevention Week"; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly shall transmit
copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.