ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — A thousand people filled the University at Albany lawn today, turning the campus into a powerful call for mental health awareness and suicide prevention for the school’s 16th annual Out of the Darkness event, aimed at reducing stigma and encouraging people to seek treatment. For the second year in a row, the walk raised more than $30,000 for suicide prevention efforts. Last year, it was the third-highest mental health fundraising event in the nation.
Advocates at the event said the goal is to make conversations about mental health as routine as other forms of health care, and to push people to get help before a crisis.
“36 years ago I lost my dad to suicide and there weren’t events like this there were people you could talk to but it wasn’t as open and honest,” said Dan Egan, the National Board of National Law and Security Northeast New York chapter chair.
Egan urged people to treat mental health like physical health by taking preventive steps early.
“We’ll get a physical, we’ll get our teeth cleaned twice a year but with our mental health we really wait until there’s a crisis to get help so kind of normalizing talking to someone before it reaches a crisis point,” Egan said.
Participants wore beads, with each color representing how suicide has affected them. University at Albany esports director John Macone said the display is meant to show people they are not alone.
“It’s always a reminder that the people around you deal with things you don’t know about and making that a more open communal conversation leads to a lot of health influence,” Macone said.
The event was held in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which merged with the Jed Foundation last week. Now the largest suicide prevention nonprofit in the nation, the AFSP will continue funding mental health research and advocating for policy, organizers said.
U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko joined local leaders at the event to speak against federal funding cuts to suicide prevention programs, including the 988 hotline.
“It’s important for us to make certain that the youth efforts for mental health programming are maintained and enhanced,” Tonko said.
“Think of it, many of the states in this country provide mental health services simply because of federal dollars. If we block those dollars or reduce them, we’re impacting the outcome in those states,” Tonko said.
If you or a loved one is at risk of harming themselves or others, dial 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and see resources from Albany County’s Department of Mental Health.