Save a life! Read these signs for suicide prevention

On the World Suicide Prevention Day, an expert tells you the signs to watch out for in a person who may be suicidal, and how you could help.

Every 40 seconds someone takes their life; that’s almost 800,000 people a year around the world. India reports 10.4 suicides per 100,000 people in a year. The truth, however, is that suicide prevention is a reality!

Rise in suicides amid the pandemic has been a cause of concern. (Shutterstock)

Most people do not want to die, they are just unable to deal with the pain.

Talking openly about suicide can save a life. Not talking about it makes it worse. Your action of reaching out to a friend, acquaintance, neighbour, co-worker can restore hope and save a life. Take action; reach out and rekindle hope. Do your bit for suicide prevention. The points below tell you how!

RECOGNISE THE SIGNS THAT A PERSON IS SUICIDAL:

- Threatening to kill themselves

- A person expresses feeling trapped; that there is no way out

- Talking, writing, posting about death, dying or suicide

- Planning ways of killing self; research, accessing pills, pesticides, weapons or other means

- Hopelessness; nothing to look forward to

- Increased use of alcohol or drugs

- Anxiety, agitation, rage or continued feeling of anger

- Loss of purpose or meaning in life - could be sudden change in life

PEOPLE, AT A GREATER RISK FOR SUICIDE, INCLUDE:

- Those who may have a mental illness

- People with poor physical health and disabilities

- Those who have attempted suicide or harmed themselves in the past

- Those facing difficult life circumstances particularly with relationships or their health

- People who have experienced physical or sexual abuse as a child

- People who have recently experienced a suicide by someone else

HOW TO APPROACH SOMEONE WHO IS SUICIDAL

- Be patient and calm while the person is talking about their feelings

- Listen to the person without expressing judgment, accepting what they are saying without agreeing or disagreeing with their behavior or point of view

- Ask open-ended questions (i.e. questions that cannot be simply answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’) to find out more about the suicidal thoughts and feelings and the problems behind these

- Ensure that you express empathy for how the person is feeling

WHAT NOT TO DO

- Argue or debate with the person about their thoughts of suicide

- Being judgmental about suicide

- Use guilt or threats to prevent suicide

- Communicate a lack of interest or negative attitude through your body language.

- ‘Daring them to ‘just do it’

- Attempt to give the person a diagnosis of a mental illness

(This story is written by Tasneem Raja, a Mental Health Expert. For more health-related stories, visit HealthShots.com)