World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10th, 2020
Facts and Figures
Over
800,000 people die by suicide annually, representing 1 person every 40
seconds
Suicide is the 15th leading cause of death globally, account
for 1.4% of all deaths and
The global suicide rate is 11.4 per 100 000 population
15.0/100
000 for males 8.0/100 000
for females
Suicide is the leading cause of death in people aged 15-24
in many European countries
Globally suicide rates among this age group are higher in
males than females
Self-harm largely occurs among older adolescents, and
globally is the 2nd leading cause of death for older adolescent girls
In 25 countries (within WHO member states) suicide is
currently still criminalized
In an additional 20
countries suicide attempters may be punished with jail sentences, according to
Sharia law
Suicide is the result of a convergence of risk factors
including but not limited to the genetic, psychological, social, and cultural risk
factors, sometimes combined with experiences of trauma and loss
Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in people
who die by suicide
50% of individuals in high-income countries who die by
suicide have a major depressive disorder at their time of death
For every 1 suicide, 25 people make a suicide attempt
135 people are affected by each suicide death
This equates to 108 million people bereaved by suicide
worldwide every year
Relatives and
close friends of people who die by suicide are a high-risk group for suicide,
due to:
• The psychological trauma of a
suicide loss
• Potential shared familial and
environmental risk
• Suicide contagion through the
process of social modeling, and
• The burden of the stigma associated with
this loss
Suicide
prevention strategies aim to prevent suicide among targeted high-risk groups
but also at a universal level
Effective
suicide prevention strategies need to incorporate public health policy
strategies and healthcare strategies, incorporating measure with the strongest
evidence of efficacy such as:
• Restriction of access to lethal
means
• Treatment of depression
• Ensuring chain of care, and
School-based
universal prevention
Suicide
prevention programs face ongoing challenges including:
• Insufficient resources
• Ineffective coordination
• Limited access to surveillance data
on suicide and self-harm
• Lack of enforced guidelines
Lack of
independent and systematic evaluation
• Since the 2014 WHO Global Report
Preventing Suicide, progress in suicide prevention is ongoing,
particularly in countries where no suicide initiatives were active, such as
Guyana, Suriname, and Bhutan
• Many countries have initiated their
2nd national suicide prevention program, including Scotland, England,
Ireland and the United States
This World
Suicide Prevention Day and every day take a minute to reach out to
someone - a complete stranger, close family member, or friend - this can change
a life
The
importance of community
• We are all part of a community,
linked to family, friends, work colleagues, neighbors or teams.
• Sometimes we become isolated and
disconnected from our communities.
We have the
responsibility to support and empower those who become vulnerable in our
communities.
Reaching
out to those in the community
• If you are worried about someone in
your community reach out and ask them “are you okay?”
By simply
checking in with them and offering non-judgemental support you can make a
difference.
Empowering
our community
• Encourage those in distress to tell
their own story in their way and at their pace.
By engaging
inactive listening and reaching out to those who are vulnerable in the community together we can build resilient and strong communities
No
one has all of the answers
• People are often reluctant to
intervene when they are worried about others.
• They may not feel knowledgeable
enough or may not feel like the right person.
It is
important to know that people in distress are often not looking for specific
advice, but merely to be listened to with compassion and empathy.
Learn
from people who reach out
• People with lived experience of
suicidal behavior or suicide bereavement have a lot to teach us.
By
listening to these often inspiring individuals we are learning and they may
become empowered to seek help.
Working
Together to Prevent Suicide
Credit:IASP
#worldsuicidepreventionday2020 #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #SuicidePrevention
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