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Suicide Prevention Methods

 

Suicide is an act of ending own life by harming own selves. However, do people really want to end their lives? Or what they really want is to relieve themselves from the pain and suffering they have long endured and death is the only way for them?

Imagine if your close friends or family member committed suicide. Would you blame yourself for not being able to provide the support and help they needed or would you blame them for being so stupid as to die?

Many who committed suicide have had hit a bottleneck in their lives as if the sky were falling on them making them hard to breathe. Preventing suicide can start with you. When the sky is falling in their lives, you can be there to support and encourage them to hang in there while seeking help to "move the fallen sky away".

Life is not direct nor easy, ups and downs are unpredictable and unavoidable. Sometimes life is so bad and bitter that it makes you choose to end your own life to stop those suffering and torture. However, you can seek help from others when life hits you hard. We believe that there will always be people that are willing to help you regardless of whether they are or aren’t close to you. πŸ’›πŸ’œ

In conjunction with the national suicide prevention day, which falls on the 10th of September, we will briefly talk about what can we do to prevent suicide from happening!

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What can WE do to prevent suicide?

We can learn the risk factors which could potentially lead to suicide and the warning signs that indicate suicide behaviour. These could help us quickly identify who is in need of help. Once we identify individuals who have suicide ideation, we should try and offer our help and support. Offering support and help can be as simple as being empathetic and lend an ear to them to listen to what happened to them. We can carefully ask about their suicidal feelings as it gives them an opportunity and a safe space to open up their deepest inner feelings with you. One important thing to keep in mind when talking to suicidal individuals is that we should not be judgmental but be empathetic and understanding (think from their shoes). You may think or feel that the issues they are currently going through are not really a big deal to you, but for them, it might be the main issue that leads them to develop suicidal ideation or thinking about ending their lives.

Through these methods, we can fully understand the at-risk individuals’ current state and feelings, then be able to help them seek appropriate and professional help. Besides that, we should also be proactive in contacting them or simply ask how are they doing during their intervention period or after it to ensure that they are doing okay in their lifeπŸ’›. This can make them feel supported and loved!

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What can the SOCIETY do to prevent suicide?

Society should provide more and easily accessible mental health care, especially in Asian countries, where mental health issues are yet to be taken as seriously or seen as normal as physical health. Lethal means or weapons such as pesticides, firearms should be limited, particularly to individuals who are at risk of suicide. The media should also provide accurate information about where to seek help (eg. crisis hotlines, mental health and counseling services, psychological centers, and etc). The media is also responsible for delivering accurate information such as facts about suicide, risk factors, warning signs, and prevention methods, most importantly they should avoid spreading false information about suicides which may influence public view's on suicide.

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Lastly, we would like to remind you that:

1. Suicide is preventable. It starts with knowing what to watch out for, and what to do with it.

2. If someone is planning or having thoughts of ending their lives, never ever leave them alone!

3. Everyone plays an important role and is responsible for preventing suicide!




We hope the world and society can spread more love and care to help people who are suffering to taste the sweetness of life again. No matter how hard your life is now, we believe the sweetness of life will eventually arrive. 
 

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References/Resources:

  1. Preventing Suicide
  2. Risk and Protective Factors (cdc.gov)
  3. Risk and Protective Factors (nv.gov)
  4. Suicide Prevention Campaign materials: handouts 
  5. Suicide Prevention Tips
  6. Suicidal Thoughts: Symptoms and Risks of Suicidal Depression (webmd.com)

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