The Comal County Commissioners Court proclaimed September as Suicide Prevention Month during their regular meeting on Sept. 3.

Suicide Prevention Month is a time to spread awareness of the "serious and preventable public health concern" that impacts individuals, families and communities as a whole, "causing immeasurable pain, loss and grief," the proclamation stated.

The Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) from the Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disability Center (MHDD) has assessed more than 940 individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and of that number, approximately 400 reported a lifetime history of a suicide attempt.