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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!
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
- Withdrawing from friends, family, or society
- 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
Also Read: This is the reason why some people are at a greater suicide risk than others
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
Also read: 5 things to remember while talking to a loved one with suicidal thoughts
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)
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