Every September 10th, a day of awareness and visibility of suicide as a social scourge is held around the world to overcome stigmas and the idea of individual and family suffering. For this reason, on World Suicide Prevention Day, the Legislature of Córdoba lights up in orange.
This year, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), promoter of the date endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), has as its axis to focus attention on the issue, reduce stigma and raise awareness among organizations, the government and the public, stating that Suicide is preventable and is linked to social, cultural and family causes.
To this end, the motto for 2024-2026 is: “Change the narrative” to break down accusations and prejudices, to create a culture of understanding and support that will prevent suicide. “Everyone – individuals, communities, organisations and governments – has an important role to play in changing the narrative around suicide.”
The special lighting of public buildings was requested by the Córdoba Culture Agency within the framework of the Provincial Suicide Prevention Program of the Mental Health Secretariat of the Ministry of Health.
In its implementation guide for suicide prevention in countries, Live life, The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has outlined a series of recommendations and considerations to address what they define as a complex problem.
Implementing evidence-based interventions for suicide prevention can help countries in the region prevent suicide, she said.
These include: ensuring that access to suicide media is limited; interacting with the media to ensure that they report responsibly on suicide; developing socio-emotional life skills for adolescents; acting to detect, assess, manage and monitor any person with suicidal behaviour in time.
These are complemented by six cross-cutting pillars, which are essential for their implementation and consist of: analysis of the situation; multi-sector collaboration; awareness-raising and promotion; capacity development; financing; surveillance, monitoring and evaluation.
Regarding the media, the media approach guide prepared by the national government states: “Suicide is a public health problem, and the mass media play a key role in both preventing it and influencing further cases. It is known that one of the many factors that can lead a vulnerable person to suicide is publicity about the issue in the media, without proper treatment.
In this regard, PAHO clarifies that it is not about not talking about the issue, but rather, on the contrary, careful and respectful dialogue should be encouraged, as well as attentive listening.“Teachers or carers need to be reminded that talking about suicide with young people will not increase the risk of suicide, but will make young people feel more able to turn to them for support when they need it. Staff wellbeing must also be ensured.”
Governments and institutions
The supranational body also recommends that governments and institutions apply positive approaches to mental health rather than focusing explicitly on suicide.
It also highlights the importance of staff training, promoting a safe school environment (such as anti-bullying programmes), links to support services, a clear policy and protocols for staff when suicide risk is identified, and increased parental awareness of mental health and risk factors.
The value of multisectoral work
Because suicide is a complex issue, prevention efforts require coordination across multiple sectors and stakeholders, along with good governance to facilitate strategic planning, the PAHO report notes.
Multi-sector collaboration allows for the exchange of knowledge, methodology and lessons learned. It offers opportunities for the integration of suicide prevention into other programmes (such as mental health, alcohol, gender-based violence and child protection).
Finally, she stresses that for countries with limited resources, collaboration can provide a starting point for work, taking advantage of the opportunity offered by what is already available. Greater coordination between the different groups working in suicide prevention and related areas will make work more agile, resulting in less duplication of effort and pragmatic use of resources.
To access the complete guide you can do so from here
