NEW YORK, June 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Friday announced to launch a pilot program aimed at reducing new suicide attempts among individuals who had previously attempted suicide.
Cuomo made the announcement in the wake of the two high-profile suicides of travel show host Anthony Bourdain and fashion designer Kate Spade.
"Two high-profile suicides this week put mental illness front and center, but while those names were the ones in the press, every day there are thousands of New Yorkers who struggle with suicidal thoughts, and we must do everything we can to support them," Cuomo said in a statement.
"This innovative pilot program tailors treatments to the specific needs of individuals and helps bolster our efforts to get people the support they need and keep New Yorkers safe," he said.
Funded through the 3.5 million U.S. dollars federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant, the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program reframes how suicide attempts are examined in order to develop individualized prevention strategies.
Developed in Switzerland, the program is based on the belief that it is more helpful to view suicide as an action taken in order to reach a goal, rather than simply a symptom of mental illness. Only by understanding the very individualized path to a suicide attempt can one develop effective prevention strategies.
