World Semicolon Day: Promoting Mental Health Awareness

April 16 is World Semicolon Day, which recognizes suicide survivors and aims to raise awareness and offer support for all those who are experiencing mental health challenges. The semicolon is a representation of choosing not to die by suicide, since it indicates a separation of two clauses rather than an end of a clause. In this way, though there are different beliefs about the symbol on an individual basis, the semicolon has come to represent perseverance and hope in the face of challenging mental illness symptoms. Read on for more information about how to observe this day, plus tips for supporting a loved one who may be experiencing mental health challenges and how to seek support yourself.

What Is World Semicolon Day?

World Semicolon Day was created in 2013 by Amy Bluel as part of the nonprofit organization Project Semicolon. Amy Bluel founded Project Semicolon as a way of spreading and presenting hope to those facing mental health concerns and to honor her father, who died by suicide ten years prior to her starting the organization. In an interview, Bluel once explained the movement’s symbolism: “Authors use semicolons when a sentence could end, but they choose to continue it. Through the Semicolon Project, we are saying you are the author, the sentence is your life, and you are choosing to continue.” 

Since the start of the project, many people have joined the community, both as survivors and as supporters. Survivors often get semicolon tattoos as a way of representing what they went through and advocating for others who struggle with suicidal ideation. 

The aim of World Semicolon Day is to honor those who have survived a suicide attempt as well as their family members and loved ones, to decrease stigma around mental illness, and to promote awareness of mental health conditions and resources.

Key mental health and mental illness statistics

First, to better understand the importance of prioritizing mental health care on World Semicolon Day and year-round, consider the following mental health statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health:

• Young adults aged 18–25 years have the highest prevalence of mental illnesses (33.7%) compared to adults aged 26–49 years (28.1%) and aged 50 and older (15.0%).

• The prevalence of mental illness is highest among those reporting that they identify as two or more races (34.9%), followed by American Indian/Alaskan Native individuals (26.6%), likely due to elements of the lived experiences of these individuals, such as discrimination.

• In 2021, only 47.2% of US adults with a mental illness reported receiving mental health services within the past twelve months.

How to observe World Semicolon Day

A key aim of Project Semicolon and World Semicolon Day is to reduce the number of deaths by suicide or to achieve lower suicide rates both in the United States and internationally. This issue is particularly relevant considering the fact that suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States and that in 2021, 48,183 Americans died by suicide and there were 1.70 million attempts. Additionally, suicides happen to affect young people in particular at high rates: Research suggests that more than 20% of teens have seriously considered death by suicide. With these statistics in mind, ideas for observing World Semicolon Day include the following.

Share your story

World Semicolon Day is about recognizing the importance of mental health—but more specifically, it focuses on celebrating those who have survived suicidal ideation or attempts or have a loved one who has been affected by suicide or suicidal ideation. If you fall into either of these categories, you can make an impact by sharing your story if you’re comfortable and ready to, either with people around you, on social media, or on the Project Semicolon website. Offering takeaways from your experience with mental health difficulties may encourage and inspire another person to persevere through their own challenges. Every story of survival is a story worth sharing as it can lead to suicide prevention, but again, only do this if you are comfortable with sharing. 

Support a mental health organization

You may wish to further the missions of mental health organizations such as The Trevor Project, To Write Love On Her Arms, The Jed Foundation, or local organizations in your area by donating money or volunteering. Foundations like these work toward decreasing self-harm and suicide rates, supporting people facing mental health concerns, and helping individuals seek out the resources they may need. You might also work with organizations that help with other crises like addiction or grief.

Raise awareness and fight mental health stigma

Despite the fact that more than one in five adults in the US lives with a mental health condition, there is still stigma around this broader topic. Spreading awareness of mental health statistics and emphasizing how common it is to have a mental health condition may help individuals experiencing them feel less alone. Additionally, destigmatizing mental health treatment such as therapy and medication may help people feel more motivated to seek treatment as needed. Sharing your personal story and/or resources and speaking in a positive, nonjudgmental way about mental illness and mental health care can be helpful.

Spread hope

While it’s undeniable that suicide rates are a serious problem, it’s also important to note that 700,000 people survive suicide attempts each year in the United States—and many of these survivors go on to lead fulfilling, supported, rewarding lives. Focusing on the message of hope by sharing positive statistics and information about resources can be helpful this World Semicolon Day and year-round.

How to support loved ones experiencing mental health challenges

If you’re close to someone who is living with a mental illness or other mental health challenges, you may be wondering how you can help. For one, simply expressing and emphasizing that you’re there for them can be paramount. Offering to listen with compassion and hold space for their difficulties could go a long way. Especially since many people who experience mental health concerns struggle to ask for help or interpret that they are a burden when they do, affirming that you want to and are available to help can relieve some of their stress on this topic. 

You might also encourage your loved one to seek mental health treatment if they’re not already receiving it. While you can’t force someone to do something they don’t want to do, helping make this person aware of resources, showing your support for them receiving treatment, and even offering to help them locate or travel to a care provider could make a significant difference. 

Seeking support for mental health concerns

If you’re living with symptoms of a mental health condition yourself or are experiencing any other type of emotional or mental health challenge, seeking the support of a therapist or other trained professional is typically recommended. They can offer you a safe space to express and process your emotions, help you reframe negative thoughts, and offer other healthy coping mechanisms and treatment advice that may help you address challenges.

Therapy may help with a wide range of mental health concerns, including depression, self-injury, eating disorders, substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and many more, as well as other challenges that don’t involve a clinical diagnosis. If the thought of speaking with a therapist in person about your challenges or concerns seems stressful or intimidating, you might prefer to engage in online therapy instead. With a platform like BetterHelp, you can meet virtually with a licensed provider from home or anywhere you have an internet connection. Plus, research suggests that online therapy can be as effective as traditional, in-person therapy in many cases.