Top 5 Things You Should Know About The World Suicide Prevention Day

10 September is observed as World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) worldwide. Here are 5 things to know about this day.

1. What is World Suicide Prevention Day?

World suicide prevention day or WSPD is a day observed globally to increase awareness about the global problem of increasing suicide cases and effectively try to prevent them.

2. Who host the event?

The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) jointly hosted World Suicide Prevention Day since 2003.

3. Theme of World Suicide Prevention Day - 

2021- "Creating Hope Through Action."

2018-20 - "Working Together to Prevent Suicide."

2017 - "Take a Minute, Change a Life."

2016 - "Connect, Communicate, Care."

2015 - "Preventing Suicide: Reaching Out and Saving Lives."

2014 - "Light a candle near a Window."

2013 - "Stigma: A Major Barrier to Suicide Prevention."

2012 - "Suicide Prevention across the Globe: Strengthening Protective Factors and Instilling Hope."

2011 - "Preventing Suicide in Multicultural Societies."

2010 - "Families, Community Systems and Suicide."

2009 - "Suicide Prevention in Different Cultures."

2008 - "Think Globally, Plan Nationally, Act Locally."

2007 - "Suicide prevention across the Life Span."

2006 - "With Understanding New Hope."

2005 - "Prevention of Suicide is Everybody's Business"

2004 - "Saving Lives, Restoring Hope."

2003 - "Suicide Can Be Prevented!"

4. How many people die each year of suicide?

Suicide is the 13th major cause of death worldwide. Around 3000 per day or a person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. Almost a million people die by suicide each year which is half of all violent death.

More people die of suicide than die in war and murder combined. More than double men than women die from suicide.

It is found that people of age group 15-29 are most prone to suicide irrespective of gender.

In India

An average of 381 death of suicide occurs in India. 139123 cases of suicide were registered in 2019, which was 3.4% higher that the previous year.

For every 100 suicide deaths in India, 70.2 were male and 29.8 females.

5. How to help a person deal with depression

i) Communicate with them

Depressed people like to keep a low profile, but it is important to communicate with them regularly. Speaking to them in a sensitive and non-judgmental manner is most important.

ii) Be a good listener

It is also important to be a good listener around people with depression, so listening patiently can be very reassuring.

iii) Help them maintain a routine

Depression can be treated by maintaining a daily routine, eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, daily exercise, reducing alcohol consumption or quitting smoking, practicing meditation and yoga during milder stages.

iv) Other helpful techniques

Writing a journal or talking about emotional distress, or writing a food diary can be a useful way of monitoring emotional health and some practices like listening to music or having a pet to spend time with.

v) Medical treatment of depression

Along with social intervention, a combination of anti-depressant medication and psychological therapy is recommended for further depression patients. These medications must be given and monitored by a registered psychiatrist on a regular basis.

These non-addictive medicines are mainly acted by correcting the various imbalance of chemical components of the brain responsible for depression.