SAMHSA, along with the Ad Council and the Inspire USA Foundation, today launched a new Teen Suicide Prevention national public service campaign, the first teen suicide prevention effort from SAMHSA to utilize a national mass media strategy, as well as a robust digital outreach program.

The public service announcement (PSA) campaign-We Can Help Us-was developed out of the acquired insight that, although many teens encounter the same tough times, many also develop positive solutions to help overcome them. The campaign empowers teens by reminding them that there are ways to get through whatever problems they face and directs them to visit reachout.com to hear stories from others who successfully conquered their tough times.

The campaign includes TV, radio, and print advertising, and mall and in-school posters and viral videos. The reachout.com Web site features stories from teens, as well as tips to help cope with tough issues and links to resources, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, for teens who need immediate help. The PSAs will be distributed widely in the national media this week.

We hope your organization can help extend the campaign’s reach to youth who may be at risk and amplify these potentially lifesaving messages. To view the PSAs, the press release, and more details about how your organization can help support the campaign, please view the National Suicide Prevention Campaign for Teens Multimedia News Release. You can also visit SAMHSA’s Web site or the Ad Council Web site to learn more.