American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) was founded in 1987 by a group of experts on suicide who wanted to create a 501(c)3 organization to fund research in suicide prevention.

Education and research about depression and suicide are fundamental to the AFSP purpose. Grant awards are given to those involved in suicide research. A current campaign to increase suicide awareness is a public service announcement called "Suicide Shouldn't be a Secret". Annual walks called "Out of the Darkness" raise funds for suicide prevention efforts and research.

AFSP has a number of suicide prevention programs aimed at various populations such as teenagers, and college students, people in medical professions, and other high-risk groups. The Republic of Hungary has for most of a century had the world's highest rate of suicide, and AFSP has been working with general practitioners and psychiatrists to reduce the rate of suicide in the Kiskunhalas region.

New programs are being initiated such as the exploration of a possible collaboration with the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association to study depression and suicidality amongst bisexual, lesbian, gay, and transgender individuals, and to develop ways to address these issues.

AFSP has programs to support survivors of suicide - those who have lost loved ones to suicide. The annual National Survivors of Suicide Day, always held the Saturday before Thanksgiving, connects members of conferences in many cities in the country by means of electronic media, including internet broadcast. A list of suicide grief groups nationwide is kept on the AFSP website.