World Suicide Prevention Day – Sept 10th, 2011
The theme of this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day is ‘Preventing Suicide in Multicultural Societies’. Sponsored by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the day promotes increased awareness and action to prevent suicides. The WHO estimates that worldwide almost 3000 people die by suicide each day. This equates to nearly 1 million preventable and premature deaths each year.
The 2011 theme seeks to raise awareness that all countries are multicultural and comprised of a variety of indigenous populations, ethnic and religious groups, immigrants, refugees & asylum seekers. According to the IASP, many suicide prevention strategies may be based around a majority group and inadequately reflect a multicultural perspective. Culturally-sensitive prevention strategies need to be developed and implemented, while keeping in mind that other risk factors not related to culture remain important.
World Suicide Prevention Day provides a rallying point for all sections of the community to focus public and political attention on the need for better understanding of suicide, increased preventative efforts in communities, appropriate care, treatment & support for people who attempt suicide, responsible media reporting of suicide and implementation of national suicide prevention strategies.
Positive Choices actively supports these aims. The project and its partners have run two ASIST courses in Rhyl and Port Talbot in the week leading up to World Suicide Prevention Day. Additionally, project staff have presented talks about suicide and mental health in the workplace to TUC members in Swansea and Aberystwyth during the week.
You can download a summary of the aims of 2011 World Suicide Prevention Day and an action toolkit here.
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