University of South Florida

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 1-800-273-TALK

Cluster 2: Social Marketing

Highly Recommended Actions

Engage the media on advancing state suicide prevention efforts. Utilize the SPAN USA Media Action to reach local Florida media to assist in this effort and to utilize SPAN USA's Engaging the Media Guide.

Support legislation to educate public school employees about youth suicide.

Use PSA's to disseminate messages (e.g., "Suicide prevention is important because each new suicide puts others at risk, promote life as a solution, Stopping one suicide saves more than one life."

Construct a well-developed powerful message repeated over and over in many arenas and media sources.

Disseminate a message that suicide is a public health problem, a human problem, needing engagement from many people in many roles.

Identify and focus targeted messages to specific population combined with education.

Organize and encourage grass-root support for state and federal legislation to support mental health parity and other mental health and suicide prevention issues. Florida could use the SPAN Legislative Action Center.

Advocate for funding to address the increase in soldiers who are committing suicide.

Other Recommended Actions

Address liability concerns in order to eliminate schools resistance to screening and assessment of students.

Promote connectedness and resilience.

Through social marketing, work to change the stigma and public attitude about suicide and  mental illness.

Work to de-stigmatize depression and suicide so the public views it as an illness not something to be ashamed of.

State funding to develop programs that combine effective screening with treatment teams.

If additional funds are made available for Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act grants, Florida should submit an application for funding which might include implementing the high school "the Turning Hour Project" statewide.

Ask a celebrity to be a spokesperson for suicide prevention in Florida or nationally.

Be more diligent about reporting what Florida is doing to the media.  Keep track of and promote our successes in order to engage others.

Highlight the role of substance abuse in suicide.

Provide free gun locks as is currently done in Pennsylvania by the State Police, local police and Sheriff's.

Require gun shows and shops in Florida to advertise or distribute material that discourages guns as a solution and encourages people to seek help.

Develop more state-funded alcohol and drug detox and treatment facilities like ACTS.

Advocate for funding to address the increase in soldiers who are committing suicide.

Lobby to legislate that all students deserve a right to an education free from harassment & bullying; include gay,lesbian, bisexual,gender identity and expression; have trainings for faculty to help assure this happening and many lives will be saved.

Develop data on perceived or sexual minority youth, they are 3 to 5 times more likely to commit suicide; there are local & national organizations doing trainings in school and at the work place to help stop the hate speech, bullying & harassment.

Determine effective ways to prevent suicide without normalizing it.

Identify and analyze providers and recipients of prescription drugs prone to abuse.

Explore the possibility of under-reporting the diagnosis of suicide as cause of death.

These actions were identified as a result of a collaborative effort between the Florida Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention, the Florida Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council, and the Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition representing stakeholders throughout Florida, and in conjunction with FMHI/USF.