The month of September is known as the most colorful period of the year for bringing together various health and social inclusion awareness campaigns. Among the colors that mark the month are yellow, green, red, gold, purple and blue, each representing a different cause.
The yellow September campaign is one of the most widespread and represents awareness and prevention against suicide. The campaign's origin is in the United States, in 1994, when the young Mike Emme, 17 years old, took his own life. Mike had restored a 1968 Mustang automobile, painting it yellow, and was found dead inside his own car.
Mike's parents and friends didn't realize the young man suffered from psychological problems and couldn't prevent his death. From this tragedy, the Yellow Ribbon campaign emerged, which uses the color of Mike's Mustang as a symbol of suicide prevention.
In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) established September 10 as World Suicide Prevention Day. In Brazil, the yellow September campaign arrived in 2015 through initiatives by organizations dedicated to the topic, seeking to raise awareness among the population about the importance of prevention and caring for mental health.
