CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sunday, Sept. 5 marked the beginning of National Suicide Prevention Week.
Every year more than 703,000 people die by suicide, that's one person every 40 seconds.
WCNC Charlotte spoke with a Charlotte mental health advocate who's helping to try and change that.
"Medication is a tool, therapy is a tool, but the two biggest things that helped us the most are self-care, knowing our triggers knowing our boundaries, eating right, exercising walking in nature, those kinds of things and then the other big piece of that is support," said Fonda Bryant, founder of Wellness Action Recovery.
Bryant will be taking part in a panel with the group Families for Depression
Awareness. The panel will be streamed on Facebook and Twitter Thursday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.
On Friday, the Charlotte skyline will be lit up teal and purple to help raise awareness for suicide prevention.
If you or a loved one are facing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, there is help readily available. You can call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or chat with them online. There are also resources in North Carolina available here and in South Carolina available here.
Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.