Leon Barretto

World Suicide Prevention Day is an awareness day observed on 10 September every year, World Suicide Prevention Day provides a worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world since 2003.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in young people. Globally 800,000 people die from suicide every year, of these 135,000 (17%) are residents of India. India has reported some of the highest numbers of suicides in teens and young adults in the world

Depression is the top mental health risk factor, but others include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders. Aside from mental health conditions, other factors that increase the risk of suicide include:

• Substance abuse disorders
• Being socially isolated or a victim of bullying or harassment
• Childhood abuse or trauma
• Having a chronic disease
• Social loss, such as the loss of a significant relationship
• Difficulty seeking help or support
• Following belief systems that accept suicide as a solution to personal problems

How to Talk About Suicide with the People You Love

A few ways:

• Let them know that you care about them and that they are not alone,
• Empathize with them. You could say something like, ‘I can’t imagine how painful this is for you, but I would like to try to understand,’
• Be non-judgmental. Don’t criticize or blame them,
• Reassure them that they will not feel this way forever,
• Encourage them to focus on getting through the day rather than focusing on the future,
• Ask them if they have a plan for ending their life. Ask what the plan is,
• Make sure someone is with them if they are in immediate danger
• Seek professional help for the person feeling suicidal ( very important)

The prevention of suicide has not been appropriately addressed due to a lack of awareness of suicide as a major public health problem and the taboo in many societies to openly discuss it. Raising community awareness and getting rid of this taboo is important to make progress in preventing suicide. The main strategy required is to increase awareness about suicidal behaviors and how to effectively prevent them.

Our priority must be to reduce social stigma and promote mental health literacy among the population and non-mental health care professionals. Along with it, there are several measures we must adopt in our resolve to prevent suicides.

There are various organizations that help prevent suicide (suicide helplines).