The task force is conducting a Suicide Awareness Walk on Saturday in Silverdale. Anyone affected by suicide is welcome. The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners this week joined other local municipalities in proclaiming May 12 Suicide Awareness Day. National Suicide Awareness Week is May 6-12. There's answers out there, if only we can recognize their hurt and get them to the answers that will help.
Suicide is everybody's business, task force members say.
Washington ranks 16th in the nation in suicides, and Kitsap County's rate is higher than the national average. In 1999, there were 44 suicides in the county, an average of one death every eight days. Suicide affects all age groups. It is the third-leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24. The national suicide rate is highest among white males 65 and older.