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DeKalb proclaims September Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month after judge, residents share personal accounts
Summary
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 9 proclaimed September Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. Chief Judge Shadena Cruz Morris and Presiding Officer Michelle Long Spears framed the issue with personal testimony and county behavioral‑health statistics cited in the proclamation.
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners proclaimed September as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month during its Sept. 9 business meeting.
Presiding Officer Michelle Long Spears read the proclamation and invited Chief Judge Shadena Cruz Morris to speak about the personal and community impacts of suicide. Morris, who chairs the State Bar Suicide Awareness and Prevention Committee and described herself as someone who has lost family to suicide, urged residents to destigmatize mental‑health treatment and to check in on neighbors. "It is okay to say I'm not okay today. It's okay to see a therapist," she said.
The text of the proclamation included local data: the document stated that DeKalb County records "over 100 reported cases annually" and referenced a ClariTel Behavioral Health assessment that listed disorder prevalence percentages and county crisis‑center follow‑up activity. The proclamation also cited actions by local providers, saying ClariTel had conducted more than 9,000 follow‑up calls, created nearly 18,000 safety plans, and provided suicide‑prevention training to more than 500 staff members.
Speakers and commissioners highlighted the personal reach of the issue: Presiding Officer Long Spears described a family history of suicide and urged simple interventions—asking "Are you okay?"—and community vigilance. Chief Judge Morris detailed her own experience, recalling that her family initially concealed her father's death as a stroke, and implored residents to remove stigma and to reach out to those who may be suffering.
The board's proclamation directs county officials and residents to observe the month with outreach, education, and support resources; commissioners encouraged citizens to use the month to contact neighbors and loved ones and to connect people who show signs of distress with support services.
Why it matters: Commissioners and presenters framed the proclamation as both memorial and prevention, linking local behavioral‑health statistics to concrete outreach and training work by providers. Officials urged decriminalizing mental‑health help‑seeking and increasing community awareness and check‑ins.
