The origin of Yellow September, a global campaign against suicide

Today begins the yellow September, a month of awareness of suicide prevention, a movement that originated in 1994 and adopted this color as a symbol in reference to the history of young American Mike Emme, who took his own life at 17 years.

In Mike’s funeral, his parents distributed yellow tapes, the same color as a 1968 Ford Mustang that his son had restored and where he was found lifeless. They thus created a powerful visual reminder of the importance of awareness of mental health that eventually spread around the world.

The initiative led to the formation of the yellow tape suicide prevention program (Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program), brought to Brazil in 2015 at the initiative of the Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP), in collaboration with the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) and the CVV (Center for Valorization of Life).

The highlight of awareness actions is September 10, World Suicide Prevention Day.

More cases of suicide among young people

Although cases of suicide are falling in some countries, Brazil is still in the opposite direction. A study published in 2025 analyzed suicide deaths in the country between 2013 and 2023, with projections until 2028.

144,566 suicide deaths were recorded during this period, with 79% of men’s victims, and 59% between 20 and 49 years. The most sharp growth happened among young people from 20 to 29 years, with social networks contributing to aggravate the problem, according to research conducted worldwide.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 720,000 people die from suicide every year, with 73% of cases occurring in medium and low income countries. He is the third main cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29, such as Mike Emme.

Mike Emme: The Origin of Yellow September

Mike’s suicide devastated his family and friends. In a note, the young man said he didn’t want anyone to blame himself for what had happened.

In order to honor their memory and help prevent other people from going through the same pain, Dale and Darlene Emme distributed the yellow ribbons on their son’s funeral accompanied by messages that encouraged people to seek help and openly talk about their feelings.

The video tells the story of the Yellow September initiative against suicide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkvhlrxu6hk

Yellow tape has become a widely recognized symbol of suicide prevention, representing hope and the importance of offering help to those who need it.

The yellow Mustang that inspired the campaign against suicide

The exact destination of Mike Emme’s original yellow Mustang is not widely documented or publicly known.

After Mike’s death, the car continued to be an important symbol for his family and the suicide prevention movement.

Mustang that inspired yellow September campaign against suicide — Yellow Ford Mustang that inspired the campaign (Photo: Disclosure)

For many years, the car was used at awareness events promoted by Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program, serving as a powerful visual reminder of the impact of Mike loss and the importance of suicide prevention.

Today, Mike’s legacy and yellow mustang live through the mental health awareness movement and suicide prevention.

What does WHO says about suicide

The connection between suicide and mental disorders (in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders) and a previous suicide attempt is well established in high -income countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, it warns the entity, many suicides happen impulsively in times of crisis with a break in the ability to deal with the stress of life, such as financial problems, relationship disputes or chronic pain and disease.

In addition, experiencing conflicts, disasters, violence, abuse or loss and a feeling of isolation are strongly associated with suicidal behavior.

Suicide rates are also high among vulnerable groups that suffer discrimination, such as refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; LGBTI people and prisoners.

Stigma, particularly around mental disorders and suicide, means that many people who think of taking their lives or who have tried suicide are not seeking help and therefore are not receiving the help they need, according to WHO.

To date, only a few countries have included suicide prevention among their health priorities and only 38 countries report having a national suicide prevention strategy.