Just in case you weren’t aware, September marks the national suicide awareness month and this week in particular is the national suicide awareness week.
Naturally and for a very long time, suicide has always been a very sensitive topic to discuss and in this being the case, a lot of lives have been lost to suicide in situations that would have resulted otherwise. So as we remember the many lives that been lost to suicide, it is also important to learn how to address this clear ill in society instead of going around it like dancing on eggshells.
According to statistics from the world health organisation (WHO), over 700,000 people take their lives globally and this number, interestingly, does not include the attempts to suicide. This therefore lies as a stark pointer that we have a lot to do as a society to combat suicide.
Many would argue that suicide is mostly a spontaneous and impulsive decision but I’d argue otherwise. I believe its a whole process. We’ve all had instances where we’ve had to battle suicidal thoughts and if you don’t fit in this bracket consider yourself very lucky. Speaking for a community in which you belong is quite different from working with statistics and random data.
Netflix produced a certain series called 13 Reasons why a few years ago and while many argued that the entire depiction seemed to encourage suicide, I would argue that it served to walk us through the thought process of victims before they finally get to that last straw. It also stood to prove that it is a very complex phenomena that is also multifaceted, all rounded in a negative way if I’d put it like that.
Reasons generally cut across and may be determined by the interaction between various factors, such as neurobiology, personal and family history, stressful events, and sociocultural environment. Essentially behind each suicide and attempt is a long-term struggle of these individuals as well as experiences of trauma and distress among their relatives and friends. It gets worse if it is a gradual build up of frustrations.
Away from statistics and WHO data, realistically speaking, there are always signs. Remember how I mentioned 13 Reasons why… well it is basically a documentation of the reasons that led to the main character taking her own life which was more or less a build up of faults really. The point here is, it doesn’t just happen out of the blues, meaning that there are signs to yourself and to others. Learn to listen to your body when it communicates…
Times when the things that used to bring you so much joy no longer excite you and times when humanity just doesn’t make any sense.
Still riding on the wave of “signs’, did you question why your very outgoing friend suddenly became so reserved and keeps to themselves or why the very reserved one is suddenly so outgoing… It could be a cry for help if we learnt to pay enough attention.
This year’s theme is “Changing the narrative on suicide” and while we’re at it, how about we pay close attention to ourselves and loved ones so that we don’t end up “snapping” or beating ourselves up with “why didn’t I notice my friend was struggling”
Suicide and attempts in general might not qualify as a global emergency but a global priority they very much are.
Ask for help.
You matter.
You are enough.
