World Suicide Prevention Day: Spreading Awareness Could Save Lives

Suicide usually ranks among the leading causes of death worldwide, with a particularly severe impact on certain vulnerable populations. In addition to the tragic loss of life involved, this can lead to lasting grief and trauma among the friends, families, and communities of those who die this way. Yet compassionate outreach can often help people recover from suicidal intentions. World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 can bring concerned individuals from around the globe together to reduce suicide risk by disseminating information, support, and hope.

It’s often possible to prevent suicide through compassionate outreach. The effects can be long-lasting — many individuals who are successfully dissuaded from suicide will never attempt it in the future. Simple strategies like checking in with people displaying signs of mental health difficulties and helping them connect with resources may be lifesaving. Those in need of someone with whom to talk may turn to a licensed therapist in their local area or online.

Suicide around the world: Facts and fiction

Figures gathered by the World Health Organization (WHO) show that suicide tends to be among the most common causes of mortality around the globe and may be responsible for one out of every 100 deaths. More than 700,000 lives were reported to have been lost to suicide in 2019. While rates appear to be dropping worldwide, regional trends can look very different. For example, the prevalence of suicide in the Americas seems to have increased by 17% between 2000 and 2019.

In general, men die by suicide at roughly twice the frequency of women, though this disparity is usually more pronounced in higher-income countries. Female rates of suicide tend to be the highest in developing nations.

The harms of suicide aren’t necessarily limited to those who lose their lives. Losing a loved one this way can be traumatic and may lead to difficulties like psychological illness, social isolation, and prolonged, complicated grief. The negative impacts can extend throughout the community, even affecting people who never knew the deceased person.

Misconceptions about suicide

Many people hold distorted and inaccurate beliefs about suicide that can make it difficult to effectively address the risks and harms it poses. Here are a few commonly held — but mistaken — ideas about suicide:

Myth: Suicide is a “first-world problem” 

Reality: More than three-quarters of suicide deaths may occur in low-income or middle-income countries, and the highest rates around the world are found in African nations.

Myth: Suicide is mostly a problem for men

Reality: Men may be more likely to die from suicide, but studies show women can be more likely to make suicide attempts, which can have substantial and lasting negative impacts even when they’re not lethal. 

Myth: Someone who survives a suicide attempt is unlikely to try again 

Reality: Though many people who attempt suicide go on to live healthy and fulfilling lives, a previous attempt can be one of the most significant risk factors for death by suicide. Survivors often have much better odds of long-term survival if they receive care and support for the difficulties that led to their suicidal thoughts.

Myth: People who talk about suicide are unlikely to attempt 

Reality: Frequently discussing suicide or dying is often a warning sign of suicidal intentions, even though others may dismiss it as an attempt to “get attention.” 

Myth: Public discussion of suicide makes suicide more likely 

Reality: Treating suicide as a taboo or stigmatizing subject may increase feelings of shame in people experiencing suicidal ideation, which can worsen their distress and make them less likely to seek help. 

World Suicide Prevention Day: Shedding light on the problem of suicide

Since 2003, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have collaborated to honor September 10 as World Suicide Prevention Day. This joint effort primarily aims to focus attention on suicide as a major public health problem and to raise awareness of how it can be successfully prevented. 

Describing the event to the press on the date of its creation, IASP president Professor Diego De Leo explained:

“World Suicide Prevention Day aims to put the issue on the agenda globally and regionally, but it also seeks to show that action must be taken locally – and this action starts with you and me.”

This annual occurrence has grown to encompass events in more than 60 countries. According to the IASP, its purpose is to send “a singular message that suicide can be prevented” to individuals, organizations, and governments around the world. 

Each year, World Suicide Prevention Day, which is also National Suicide Prevention Day, targets a unique theme related to reducing the risk of suicide. Last year’s theme, “Creating Hope Through Action,” focused on empowering people to take constructive action to support those at risk. The IASP is currently accepting suggestions for the theme of 2024.

How readers can contribute to World Suicide Prevention Day

There are many ways to lend a hand to the cause of preventing suicide. The following suggestions may give you some ideas for how to participate in World Suicide Prevention Day.

Educate yourself and others 

Correcting inaccurate and damaging ideas about suicide can make it easier for those at risk to seek and receive the help they need while enabling their community members and loved ones to support them more easily. Many high-quality, research-backed resources on this topic are available to the public:

• The CDC’s suicide fact sheet

• The Reach In, Reach Out podcast from the IASP

• World Health Organization suicide prevention information

• The American Psychological Association’s topic page on suicide

• The suicide prevention page from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

• Facts About Suicide Among LGBTQ+ Young People from the Trevor Project

• Documentaries on suicide loss from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

• The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Digital Shareables on Suicide Prevention

To honor World Suicide Prevention Day, you can discuss this information with others, contributing to an improved understanding of this difficult and complex topic. Sometimes, just hearing others openly discuss suicide and suicide prevention can be enough to give someone in your life the nudge they need to seek help. It may also challenge the stigma that can still surround many discussions of suicide. 

Discuss stories from survivors

Firsthand accounts from people who have recovered after experiencing suicidal thoughts, attempting suicide, or losing a loved one to suicide can be powerful resources. When someone is contemplating suicide, hearing from those who have grappled with similar feelings of pain and despair may provide hope.

You can help by using any online platforms at your disposal, such as blogs or social media accounts, to amplify the voices of survivors. If you have experiences from your own life that you’re comfortable discussing, this could be a particularly potent way to contribute. Otherwise, you could link to platforms like Live Through This, an online project compiling the stories of suicide survivors.

Contribute to efforts for change

You can support the cause of suicide prevention by donating to nonprofit groups like the following: 

• International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) (raising global awareness of suicide)

• ASFP (supporting Americans at risk for or affected by suicide)

• JED Foundation (promoting emotional health and preventing suicide in young adults)

• Trevor Project (suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth)

• The Headstrong Project (military and veteran mental health)

You can also act as an advocate by writing or calling your elected representatives and urging them to make suicide prevention a public health priority. Suicide prevention groups like the AFSP and the Trevor Project often have helpful information on relevant policy issues.

Talk to the people in your life

When someone is at risk of suicide, contact with people who care about them may make more of a difference than anything else. This World Suicide Prevention Day, you might want to consider reaching out to someone close to you and giving them an opportunity to talk. 

This may be an especially good idea if they’re showing possible warning signs of suicide, such as those listed below:

• Frequently discussing dying, death, self-harm, or suicide

• Expressing negative self-beliefs, such as saying they’re worthless or that others would be better off without them

• Describing feelings of despair or hopelessness

• Isolating themselves socially

• Withdrawing from activities they normally enjoy

• Abruptly giving away their possessions

• Engaging in risky, reckless behavior, such as dangerous levels of substance use

You can get the conversation started by asking how they’re doing or what’s going on in their life. If their behavior has been concerning, it can be helpful to let them know why you’re worried about them and ask if they’ve been thinking of self-harm or suicide. (According to the American Psychiatric Association, asking the question  and could encourage them to open up.)

If the other person expresses suicidal thoughts or mental health difficulties, consider directing them toward resources such as the ASFP’s page on getting help or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. In addition, you might want to suggest they talk to a licensed mental health professional. Offering practical support, such as driving them to therapy or assisting them with stressful obligations, might also help.

For those who are hesitant to attend therapy sessions in person, an online therapy platform may be an available alternative. With online therapy, individuals can customize the experience to their comfort level by choosing between video, voice, and online chat options for each appointment.

Research supports the idea that online therapy tends to produce the same client outcomes as in-office therapy. Both options can be effective forms of treatment for those experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges.