September is the month of Suicide Prevention. On 10th September, World Observes the day as World Suicide Prevention Day, in short WSPD. It should be an important day for everyone out there.
What is the purpose of the day?
World Observes World Suicide Prevention Day to raise awareness of suicide in our communities. This is to identify where and how we can work together towards a world, where no one will commit or think about suicide.
Why it is important?
According to WHO, every 40 seconds someone takes their own life. And that sums up to about 800,000 people worldwide every year. Even some estimates put that number closer to 1 million.
Self-destruction is the main source of death for individuals age 15 to 29 and for each self-destruction that outcomes in death, there are upwards of 40 endeavored suicides. What we can be sure of is that there’s a ton to live for.
The History behind making this day:
Most of us lead busy lifestyles. We barely get time to sit and actually process our thoughts. This is likely a reason why mental health issues go unassessed. And most of all ignore that mental health which becomes a vital part after a time in our life. It can be even a turning point in life.
The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) initiated World Suicide Prevention Day as a campaign in 2003. The day was co-sponsored by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and World Health Organization.
The point of the day is to research and gather information on self-destructive conduct, decide the different causes and why its signs go unrecognized, and creating sound practices and arrangements for self-destruction counteraction.
WHO’s global suicide prevention campaign from 1999 took place first on World Suicide Prevention Day in 2003.
Some facts about Suicide:
Suicide rates increased 33% between 1999 and 2019. At the end of 2019, it decreased some but after hitting the Covid Pandemic it increases day by day.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34.
Over 139 thousand deaths due to suicides were recorded in India in 2019. More than 90,000 young adults committed suicide in 2019-20, India.
According to the government report, more than 10 farmers committed suicide every day in India. 10,281 Indian farmers committed suicide in 2019.
What can you do when someone is being potentially suicidal?
- Firstly, in that time you should seek help from the mental helpline of your country or your area.
- Secondly, you need to listen to that suicidal person and try to keep that person calm.
- Lastly, You have to motivate that person to back in life, to trust the process of life. And you need to make sure to give time to him/her.
These are basic things we can do to prevent suicide. We just need to be together before it’s too late.
