• By admin
• October 10, 2022January 16, 2023
• With 1 comment

The phrase “somebody died due to suicide” brings shivers among all of us, due to the pain and suffering the person must have gone through before taking this critical step and leaving their family behind. Suicide is generally associated with mental health disorders such as depression and even substance use disorders.

Research has shown that people among the age-group of 10-34years, suicide has been found as the second cause of death. And, the findings have also revealed that men in comparison to women are most likely to indulge in suicide.

At the same, suicide can be prevented by noticing the warning signs and providing the necessary support and care to the person going through crisis. But, due to the lack of awareness people fail to provide that essential support to their family members and even their friends, since the person going through crisis is unable to share that they are experiencing issues and are unable to deal with it.

In today’s time, along with the awareness about mental health issues, it is all the more integral for suicide prevention to take place. World Suicide Prevention Day is celebrated every year on 10 September to increase the awareness about suicide prevention. But, just like physical health issues, it should be ensured that people are talking freely about mental health issues and suicide.

There are certain warning signs of suicide that need to be acknowledged by parents, teachers and friends immediately. These include:

• No socialisation with peers and family members.
• Highly disrupted sleeping and eating patterns.
• Presence of mental health issues.
• Prior history of trauma, abuse and suicide in the family.
• Loss of interest in usual activities, and incapacity to focus on things in general.
• Recurrent thoughts about death and dying.
• Occurrence of issues pertaining to relationship with spouse and family.
• Heightened mood swings throughout the day.
• Excessive exposure towards risk-taking behaviours such as self-injury.

Further, there are several steps you can take to prevent suicide among your peers and family members. These are as follows:

• Be the listening ear for your friend and family member going through something.
• Help them seek the essential support and care from a mental health professional.
• Acknowledge the warning signs you’ve observed in them.
• Make them understand that they are not alone in this crisis situation.
• Ask them recurrent questions to check for signs of self-harm.
• Engage them in activities to build their strengths.
• Express your gratitude towards your peers or even family members to make them understand that they have people in their lives who’re grateful to have them.
• Show your care towards them by giving them the necessary emotional as well as moral support.
• Spread awareness about suicide prevention in your schools, colleges, organisations and at your home.

Moreover, you can save the lives of your family members, friend just by being there with them and showing them the right path towards coping with their issues with the help from a mental health professional. Thereby, showcasing that taking steps in your own way towards spreading awareness with regard to suicide prevention is the need of the hour!