World Suicide Prevention Day is observed annually on 10th September worldwide. And as the name suggests it is an awareness program which aims to prevent suicide across the world.
Believe it or not today suicides has become one of the leading cause of death worldwide and it is very worrying. As in every 40 seconds someone takes their own life according to the World Health Organization. That’s about 800,000 people worldwide every year. Some estimates even put this figure close to 1 million.
Suicide is also the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29 and for every suicide that results in death, there are as many as 40 attempted suicides so it is a major issue which immediately needs to be addressed.
| Event | World Suicide Prevention Day |
|---|---|
| Date | September 10, 2022 |
| Day | Saturday |
| Significance | The day is observed with the intention of reducing suicide worldwide |
| Observed by | World wide |
World Suicide Prevention Day History:
Suicide is not a new thing for humanity it has been happening since the start of the human civilization but the thing which is worrying now is the rate and numbers of suicides have been increased drastically in recent history and they are continuously rising which is very alarming for our world. Experts believes that modern lifestyle is playing a major part in increasing suicidal tendencies across the world as people in their busy lives works very hard and barely gets any time to enjoy but still feels frustrated as they were still found unable to meet their expenses or found themselves with a huge pile of debt. Along with these societal issues is another major reason.
We lead busy lifestyles and barely get time to sit and actually process our thoughts, which is likely a reason why mental health issues or underlying problems go unassessed or untreated. And metal health deteriorating is one of the major cause which creates suicidal tendencies in a person's mind.
To address the issue of suicide, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) was founded in 1960 at Vienna in Austria. The aim of this organization was to create awareness regarding suicide problem to the public and to prevent suicides in the world. And they were quite successful in it and helped to prevent many suicides then in the 90s the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) starts establishing crisis centers across all of the USA to instill hope in those who have suicidal thoughts so that they can continue living their lives.
Then WHO started its global suicide prevention campaign from 1999 which is regarded as the first such event which was an awareness campaigns to prevent suicides. And this event only inspired the creation of the World Suicide Prevention Day in 2003.
The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) created World Suicide Prevention Day in 2003. The day was also co-sponsored by the World Federation for Mental Health and World Health Organization. The aim of the day is to research and collect data on suicidal behavior, determine the various causes and why its signs go unnoticed, and developing effective practices and policies for suicide prevention in the world.
World Suicide Prevention Day Significance:
IASP from a long time wanted to create awareness by informing the public how to identify the warning signs of someone who is likely to attempt suicide soon, so reach out to them before its too late. Because the initiative has done so well, WHO partnered with it from its second year onwards only. And today it is recognized globally with many organisations and governments around the world supporting this initiative.
This a major challenge innour world which can't be ignored and mist be solved as according to the WHO, suicide is committed somewhere in the world every 40 seconds. Approximately 800,000 people die every year brcause of suicides. The majority of these occur in underdeveloped and developing countries. These figures are startling, considering that suicide is preventable. Undiagnosed and untreated mental illness is the biggest reason behind suicide that's why developing countries has high rates of suicides.
But the developed world also is not doing anything extraordinary to prevent suicides as some of the highest suicide rates in the world can be found in many developed countries as well like in Japan, South Korea and as well as western countries as suicide rates are even high in nordic countries and the United States. So overall it is a worldwide phenomenon today.
World Suicide Prevention Day Activities:
Through the World Suicide Prevention Day the IASP and WHO tries to convey this message to the common people that suicides today are mostly cause by mental health deterioration and financial problems today so it is important for people to remain aware about it in their surroundings and whenever of they found their loved or known ones suffering from depression or any other financial or personal problems then instead of ignoring try to help them and also offers your sympathy to them and tries to motivate them so that their mind can be diverted from these evil suicidal tendencies.
Events and activities on World Suicide Prevention Day includes conferences, seminars, and discussion meetings. Introducing new policies for suicide prevention like by the use of media as a tool for promoting awareness and organizing memorial ceremonies to remember those who lost the battle to mental illness.
And it also includes many events regarding educating adolescents on suicide and who and how to reach out to if your help is needed for someone in suicide prevention and establishing support groups and special facility centers as resources for those people who are suffering with depression and by this also raising awareness for mental health treatment. On this day charity is also raised through funds to help those organizations who help in suicide prevention. And people are informed about suicide helpline numbers of their local area.
World Suicide Prevention Day Theme:
"Creating hope through action" is the triennial theme for the World Suicide Prevention Day from 2021 - 2023. So this same theme is continuing from last year and it will be used for next year too.
This theme is a reminder that there is an alternative to suicide and aims to inspire confidence and light in all of us and especially to those people who are currently struggling with their lives in any way be it financially or personally. Bit this day tells us that we should never abandon hope and after many dark days the shining days has to come only in our lives and that's why we shouldn't be disappointed with our today and should always aim for a better and hopeful future.
This day also talks about action in which it urges people to take this issue seriously and to help in prevention of suicides. And as a common people everyone can do a part by keeping records of their loved ones or colleagues or anyone they knows as you have to observe your surroundings always and endure that nobody is feeling likely to attempt suicide and if they are then try to help them and motivate them so that they can drop their idea of suicides and also recommend phychological therapies for them.
Most Searched FAQs on World Suicide Prevention Day:
1. When is World Suicide Prevention Day is observed?
World Suicide Prevention Day is observed annually on 10th September worldwide.
2. Who started World Suicide Prevention Day?
World Suicide Prevention Day was initiated by the International Association of Suicide Prevention(IASP) in 2003.
3. How many suicides happen annually?
About 800,000 suicides take place annually in the world.