Yale Child Study Center and Department of Psychiatry Join Walk to Prevent Suicide

Members of the Yale Child Study Center and Department of Psychiatry as well as their families came together as the “Yale Psychiatry Team” earlier this month to join the local effort of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). On October 6^th, 2013 a community “Out of the Darkness” walk to support AFSP was held in Hamden, Connecticut, one of many held nationwide. Child Study Center Integrated Resident, Jerome Taylor, and faculty, Jim Leckman and Hanna Stevens, were joined by Department of Psychiatry Residents, Ayana Jordan and Guillermo Montemayor. All team members walked the two and a half miles sponsored by AFSP, persevering through the rain to place a symbolic stone at the end of the walk route that represented each walker’s own commitment to preventing suicide. “We see the impact of suicide in many ways as psychiatrists. By walking for AFSP, we know we can decrease the stigma that surrounds talking about suicide in the hopes of improving the lives of all in our community, both youth and adults,” says Hanna Stevens. Rounding out the team were family members of Ayana Jordan and Hanna Stevens, all walking to raise awareness about the continued high incidence of suicide in the U.S. and the impact it has on families, friends and whole communities. The team was supported by many others in both departments who were not able to walk. This is the second year members of Yale Child Study Center and Psychiatry have participated in the community AFSP walk in an effort to make a difference in this important issue.