Every 16 minutes, someone in the United States dies by suicide.  Every 17 minutes someone else is left behind to try and make sense of it.  It is estimated that a suicide attempt is made once every minute.  Currently, over 33,000 people die each year as suicide is the 11th leading cause of death.  These statistics are not simply numbers on a piece of paper.  Instead, they represent somebody's family member, friend, neighbor and/or co-worker.

The grief that survivors of suicide experience is unique. The questions often left behind are at times unbearable.  That is why there are two Survivors of Suicide Support Groups in the area.  One is for the Genesee County Area and the other for the Orleans County Area.  These Suicide Survivor support groups are "to help those who have lost a loved one to suicide resolve their grief and pain in their own personal way." 

It is our hope that these groups will offer information that will help answer some of the tough questions as well as provide a safe place for survivors to share their struggle and pain and offer comfort and understanding to others who have experienced a similar loss.

For more information regarding the Genesee County area group which is currently running,  please contact the Mental Health Association of Genesee County, Inc. at (585) 344-2611 between 9:00am & 5:00pm. 

For more information regarding the Orleans County area group which is still trying to get started, please contact Holly at (585) 703-2706 or Dawn at (585) 698-4857.

You'll never get over it, but you can get through it.