Walking to prevent suicide

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Hundreds gathered at Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach to shed light on what is often considered a dark secret. Saturday the "Out of the Darkness" walk was held to educate people about depression and suicide prevention.

Organizers say the event was the biggest suicide prevention walk in the country this year.

"I'm here, because my uncle killed himself," said Andrew Falls.

"Suicide is a health issue," added Mike Lamma with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

 For many Suicide is a hush-hush issue. Today however, approximately 1,200 people at Mt. Trashmore let their feet do all the talking.

"These walks are a great way to reduce the stigma surrounding the issue," said Lamma. "People see that they are not alone and this has happened to a lot of other families."

While so many are left to deal with loss of a loved one, experts say that loss could have been prevented.

"90% of the people that die from suicide have an underline mental disorder and the key is getting those people into treatment," added Lamma.

33,000 people die a year from suicide in the United States. That is one person every 17 minutes.

Today was a big step. People leaned on each other for support. Some who just want to be there for those who have felt the pain.

"We're just here to support everybody who has lost somebody or known somebody who has lost somebody," said Joe Magri.

It's an event that grows bigger every year and organizers hope so does the awareness.

In addition to the support, there were more than a dozen mental health professionals on hand to give help to anyone who needed it. For more information on the walk click here.