Nevada's Reid supports first Suicide Prevention Day

Reid, who participated in a national video conference organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, called for a greater awareness about the underlying causes of suicide.

At the same time, he urged greater involvement in prevention efforts by those who have lost a family member to suicide.

"There continues to be a stigma that accompanies suicide, and marking this one day out of the year is an important first step in bringing survivors out of the shadows and into the light," Reid said from Washington, D.C.

More than 30,000 people take their own lives each year in the United States, making suicide the eighth leading cause of death nationwide.

Nevada continues to have the nation's highest per capita suicide rate.

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