Amidst wars in the eastern hemisphere and central part of this world, conflicts against each other have claimed a lot of lives.
But do you know, apart from wars and homicide combined, what claims most lives in a calendar year?
Well, since you’re reading this article, you probably would’ve guessed it right. According to the World Health Organisation, suicides take away the lives of 800000 individuals every year. Interestingly, a person who dies committing suicide tries to attempt it almost 20 times.
The aftermath of suicide is devastating. Some families are torn apart, communities are shaken to their core and there are individuals who suffer their loved one’s loss for their entire life. The atrocities, sufferings, and other factors might have blurred the line between life and death, but the value of life is simply priceless.
But there is hope beyond the tunnel. Every suicide is preventable. All that one needs is a hand of empathy. That is the reason why even most governments across the globe do not allow ‘euthanasia,’ even to those who might have lost all hope in life.
Furthermore, the rising cases of mental illness are widening the gaps between prevention and cause.
But as they say, ‘every black cloud has a silver lining,’ there is also one saving life with effective suicide prevention strategies, especially in mental health care.
In this blog, let’s have a look at some of the suicide prevention strategies in mental health that might help you or someone you know save their life. So let’s be the hope people search for their entire lives and let’s get started!
- Access & Delivery of Suicide Care
It has been observed that people before committing suicide tend to seek help but access to that help often comes from long. By streamlining care delivery and appropriate insurance coverage of mental health conditions can really make a difference.
Furthermore, it has been observed that the suicide rate in rural areas of the United States is almost twice as high as in the urban population. This can be the change, since the arrival of telehealth care delivery, provider availability in underserved areas has increased.
Along with that, independent initiatives create safer suicide care through appropriate changes.
- Teach Coping & Problem-solving Skills
Suicide grows over the years due to several reasons and in mental conditions it is often due to the lack of social-emotional support. The initiation of this can be done in schools and by teaching the kids while they are young how to cope with suicide. Along with that, helping patients with problem-solving skills makes them emotionally stronger and also helps in further phases of their lives.
Supporting social-emotional learning programs can be a good way to start for someone who might find it hard to come up with a depleting mental condition. Parenting also plays a crucial role in this and investing in their family relationships can make a huge difference in helping children in being socially and emotionally stable.
- Identify & Support People at Risk
There is very common perception that people with suicidal tendencies are hard to identify, but it is actually quite the contrary. All we as fellow humans need to be a little more conscious. Being observant of the people around you and rather than reacting to their crisis responding to it can go a long way in keeping those people alive and in your life.
Along with that, if you identify someone who can commit suicide, plan in advance for their safety and create a follow-up after you know that they have attempted. However, you need to be more cautious and a little proactive after someone has attempted to take their life, provide them with therapies and if possible even go with them for a session or two just to make them comfortable and to be sure.
- Create Protective Environment
Living in this materialistic world, we might not notice it but we are constantly surrounded by lethal objects that could be used for killing. Whether it is office space, home, or even the very vehicle that you’re driving to school or work every day. Here it is important to create a protective environment, where access to lethal means is out of sight.
Also, create a healthy organisation with policies and culture where everyone proactively participates and helps people who are at high risk of suicide. Also, it is found that alcohol and substance abuse are some of the most common habits found in people who commit suicide. Helping people reduce this through the use of community-based policies and practices can go a long way in saving probably a lot of lives.
- Lessen Harms & Prevent Future Risk
Once you know, someone has tried to take their own life or is trying to intervene, small talk can help make them change their mind. And once you make them comfortable report and message about suicide safely. This would not only lessen the harm but also prevent any future attempts of the person trying to commit suicide.
- An Everyone’s Initiative
One of the major reasons for suicide has been finances and that has been seen across age groups and the world. By reducing this a drastic change in the suicide rate can be brought. Governments and families need to work towards improving household financial security and plan to stabilise housing policies to make it all work.
Conclusion
Taking care of our physical and mental health is equally important. Since one complements the other it also helps a person live, love, and laugh. Furthermore, suicide is avoidable, especially in the cases of people suffering from mental conditions. Help is needed but more than help, we need to be more human first. So, next time you see someone struggling with their mental health and always complaining about their lives, help them, you might just help them save their lives and the lives of others that they care about.
