Suicide Awareness Walk planned Thursday in Cortland

Editor's Note: The suicide awareness walk will take place Thursday, Sep. 14, from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Cortland County Office Building gymnasium, 60 Central Avenue.

The following article, "Suicide is Preventable: Reach Out, Speak Up and Act Now," was written by Lexi Davis, an intern with the Cortland County Health Department.


Suicide does not discriminate by race, age, socioeconomic status or gender. Sadly, it is the second leading cause of death within New York State for ages 15 to 34, with more than 17% of middle and high school students in Cortland County reporting that they have seriously considered suicide.

As an intern for Cortland Mental Health I feel very passionate about reducing both the stigma associated with mental illness and decreasing the amount of lives lost each year to suicide. The message I find most important to spread is that you are not alone. One in four people have a mental illness and 42,773 American’s die by suicide each year. The more often we normalize and start a conversation about mental illness and suicide, the easier it will become to have an open dialogue about suicide and in turn treat all illness, whether it be physical or mental, with the same attention and concern that it deserves. I participate in Suicide Awareness Walks to connect to others who have been impacted by suicide in their lives and to show support for my friends and family members who suffer or have suffered from suicidal thoughts and attempts.

Suicide is preventable. Suicide is everyone’s business.

What are the warning signs and risk factors?

Behavior change is a key indicator of suicidality, especially after a big life change, loss or painful event. Most people who have been lost to suicide display warning signs, either behaviorally or verbally. Three key signs to watch for are (1) Verbalization, (2) Behavior, and (3) Mood. LISTEN when someone says they feel:  like a burden, they have no reason to live, hopeless, trapped or like they want to kill themselves.  WATCH for behaviors such as use or increased use of alcohol or drugs, avoiding people and events, sleeping too much or too little, acting impulsively, and researching methods of suicide. Lastly, BE AWARE when someone displays rage, anxiety, depression, irritability, loss of interest, or humiliation.

How can you get involved?

Please join Cortland Mental Health in the Suicide Awareness Walk and Provider Fair taking place from 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the County Office Building gymnasium, 60 Central Avenue.  The event will start at 4:30pm culminating with refreshments and a musical performance at 5:30.   

Why is suicide prevention important to you?

“This work is important to me because we all have the potential to make a difference in the life of someone who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide just as we all can play a part in making suicide safer communities. Suicide can be a scary, sensitive and uncomfortable topic but, at its essence, at its core suicide prevention is about relationships. We are all changed, sometimes in subtle ways and sometimes in profound ways, by the people we come in to contact with. And we have the potential to affect similar change on those we come in to contact with who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide. You can make a difference-you DO make a difference. Make that difference count.”

– Garra Lloyd-Lester

“Suicide prevention is important to me because I lost my grandfather to suicide. I was very young at the time and didn’t know him well but I’m often saddened that I didn’t get to have him in my life.”

– Ethan Lewis

For more information on the Cortland Suicide Awareness Walk or participating in local suicide prevention efforts, contact Alexandra Huntington-Ofner at 607-428-5473 or [email protected]