Suicide rates are rising in nearly every state in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  In Virginia, they’ve risen by about 17 percent since 1999.

After recent celebrity suicides, local organizations have seen an increase in people calling and asking for help.  They’re working to erase the stigma surrounding mental health and help people get treatment.

“Mental health is really important to all of us,” said Beau Kirkwood, executive director of the CHAS Foundation.  The Foundation is named after his brother, who had bipolar disorder and committed suicide.

Kirkwood said, “If your mental health is not doing well and you know that you need to connect to a local service, that is where the CHAS Foundation does come into play.”

They’ve created an online database of local mental health and suicide prevention resources.  “A person’s mental health usually doesn’t go from being wonderful and great to all of a sudden being really poor and bad and you wanting to take your life,” Kirkwood said.

They also work with organizations like “I Need a Lighthouse” to spread awareness. 

“Education plus awareness will equal prevention,” said “I Need a Lighthouse” Founder and Executive Director Kathleen Wakefield.  

Wakefield lost her son to suicide and turned that tragedy into an educational program for teens and adults.

She said, “What you have to do is ask.  You’re looking for changes in people.  If you’re noticing some changes, you have to and it’s not easy, ask “What’s going on? You’re not acting like you usually do” and start the dialogue.”

Both Kirkwood and Wakefield say mental illnesses are treatable, but suicide is not.  It won’t get better unless people talk about it.

“A lot of people say, if you talk about it, it’s going to plant the seeds, it’s going to give them the idea,” said Wakefield.  “Research indicates it does the exact opposite, they know that you care, you’re that lighthouse, you’re that beacon of hope.”

if you or someone you know needs immediate help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline anytime at 1-800-273-8255.