World Suicide Prevention Day

800,000 people die by suicide every year. This is as per World Health Organization’s report. 800,000 may just be a number but translated to reality, 1 of those might just be teen actress Julia Buencamino who committed suicide for reasons unknown. An alleged social media suicide letter mentioned about bisexual tendencies and not being understood as the reasons for said suicide. I am sure that if asked, an image or a story will also pass by your subconscious.

Photo from Canadian BFRB Support Network

Last year, the world was shocked by Robin Williams who also committed suicide—the man who gave lots of laughter, us never knowing he was carrying a heavy burden. And then some celebrities who committed suicide are all too familiar: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Marilyn Monroe, Ernest Hemingway.

And these are celebrities. How about those in the news of an ordinary person who killed his whole family and then eventually killed himself? Or that child of Miriam Defensor-Santiago? How about those who did not reach the news?

We look at news stories like this and gush out in wonderment how such horror can happen in an almost daily instance. And all we could react is shock as to why it happened. The thing about suicide is that most of those who commit suicide will never give you a clue that they are suffering. Most of these people hide in the guise of being cheerful, of being available, of being helpful. They say that “clowns have the saddest stories”. I guess that is true in suicide. The question is not if those who commit suicide left clues. The question should be, did we care enough to reach out?

Thus, it is nothing but appropriate that this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) theme is “Reaching Out and Saving Lives”. Since 2003, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) has assigned September 10 as World Suicide Prevention Day. This year, the theme reminds us how much big of an impact it could get to prevent suicide if we just reach out to other people.

Photo from WSPD

Our generation nowadays has boxed us so much in social media that we fail to notice the emotional needs of other people. I have encountered suicidal individuals who have stopped their intent to commit suicide just because someone was kind enough to smile and open the door for them, say hi, ask about how the day was, or start a small conversation. A small gesture can lead to a very big impact in another person’s life. You just don’t know that in your little effort, you just saved another person’s life.

So, this year, let’s start with a day, in the hope that it will lead to more days, in reaching out to other people. You can also check out https://www.iasp.info/ for more information about how to help in this endeavor. Maybe we can lessen the 800,000 numerical reports of people committing suicide. We also pray that no one dies alone, no one dies unloved and unrecognized. You want to change the world? This is just one little step to do so.