ANGELA VORSTER | World Suicide Prevention Day aims to fight the stigma

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Twenty-three people will die from suicide in SA today. Another 460 South Africans will try to end their lives today, according to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG).

They are from different cultural, gender, sexual orientation and income groups, different levels of education, speak different languages, range in age from childhood through to elderly. They have very little in common except that their lives all ended due to the final symptom of an illness.

This is the purpose of World Suicide Prevention Day, which takes place internationally each year on September 10, and through which the International Association for Suicide Prevention endeavours to increase awareness of suicidality, and to fight the stigma associated with suicide. So, what can you do if you think someone may be at risk? Talk to them. Tell them what you are worried about and give them the space to express how they feel without judgment or condemnation. Reach out to their support system and share your concerns with them. Encourage the suicidal person to make contact with a healthcare professional.

 

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