World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Suicide is a serious public health issue with wide-ranging social, emotional, and financial ramifications. As per the data, around 700,000 suicides are reported annually on average around the world, which profoundly affects the lives of many. And to curb the unfortunate crisis September 10 is observed as World Suicide Prevention Day annually. The day aims to encourage understanding, sharing experiences and reaching the masses to take action and prevent suicides.
The International Association for Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO) together created World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) in 2003. Every year on September 10, organizations, governments, and the general public are encouraged to increase awareness of the problem and focus attention on it with the clear message that suicides may be avoided.
World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Date, Theme, History and Significance
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World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Theme
World Suicide Prevention Day marking this year with the triennial theme started in 2021. The theme is ‘Creating Hope Through Action.’ It advocates making an effort to promote compassion and understanding by lending a helpful hand and listening. We may convey that there is hope and that we care about and want to support those who are contemplating suicide by acting in a way that instils hope. It also implies that our efforts, no matter how great or tiny, might give those who are having a hard time hope.
World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Significance
World Suicide Prevention Day each year aims to focus attention on the issue, reduce stigma and raise awareness among organizations, governments, and the public, giving a singular message that suicides are preventable. It represents a global commitment to focus attention on suicide prevention. All of us- family members, friends, co-workers, community members, educators, religious leaders, healthcare professionals, political officials, and governments can take action to prevent suicide in the Region.
World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Objectives
According to the Pan American Health Organisation, “The overall goal of this day is to raise awareness about suicide prevention worldwide. Objectives include promoting stakeholder collaboration and self-empowerment to address self-harm and suicide through preventative action.”
These can be accomplished by enhancing the skills of healthcare professionals and other key players, spreading encouraging and educational messages to the general public and vulnerable populations like young people, and encouraging an open dialogue on mental health at all levels of society at home, at school, at work, etc. People who are thinking about or touched by suicide are also urged to share their experiences and get support from a professional.
World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Key Facts
- In contrast to all other regions of the World Health Organization, the Region of the Americas has seen an increase in suicide mortality.
- It emphasizes the pressing requirement to make suicide prevention a top priority in public health.
- Suicide and attempted suicide have repercussions that affect not just the victims but also their families, communities, and societies as a whole.
- The sex gap in suicide mortality is a cultural phenomenon, meaning that societal norms regarding gender and suicide heavily influence both its existence and scale.
- The global climate problem has made other humanitarian crises, including migration, worse, and they represent a serious threat to mental health.
Important Days and Dates in September 2023
World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Awareness Programmes & Activities
World Suicide Prevention Day is an opportunity for all sectors of the community the public, charitable organisations, communities, researchers, clinicians, practitioners, politicians and policymakers, volunteers, those bereaved by suicide, those with lived experience and other interested groups and individuals. The various programmes and activities suggested by the International Association for Suicide Prevention are:
- Launching new initiatives, policies and strategies on World Suicide Prevention Day.
- Holding conferences, open days, educational seminars or public lectures and panels.
- Writing articles for national, regional and community newspapers, blogs and magazines.
- Holding press conferences. Placing information on your website and using the IASP World Suicide Prevention Day Web banner, promoting suicide prevention in one’s native tongue.
- Securing interviews and speaking spots on radio and television. Organising memorial services, events, candlelight ceremonies or walks to remember those who have died by suicide. Asking national politicians with responsibility for health, public health, mental health or suicide prevention to make relevant announcements, release policies or make supportive statements or press releases on WSPD.
- Holding depression awareness events in public places and offering screening for depression.
- Organising cultural or spiritual events, fairs or exhibitions. Organising walks to political or public places to highlight suicide prevention.
- Holding book launches, or launches for new booklets, guides or pamphlets. Distributing leaflets, posters and other written information.
- Organising concerts, BBQs, breakfasts, luncheons, contests, and fairs in public places. Writing editorials for scientific, medical, education, nursing, law and other relevant journals.
- Disseminating research findings.
- Producing press releases for new research papers.
- Holding training courses in suicide and depression awareness. Lighting a candle near a window at 8 PM in support of: World Suicide Prevention Day, suicide prevention and awareness, survivors of suicide and for the memory of loved lost ones.
In conclusion, World Suicide Prevention Day inspires hope by demonstrating that there is belief and that we care about and want to support those who are contemplating suicide. It also implies that our efforts, no matter how great or tiny, might give those who are having a hard time hope.
Categories: Trends
Source: vcmp.edu.vn