Video: Suicides can be prevented
“When we think about suicide prevention, it is really important to keep this word ‘prevention’ at heart. There are many things we can do to build resilience and develop internal and external supports in people’s lives. This will hopefully prevent more attempts or more suicides from occurring.”
– Kelly McBride, IFRC Psychosocial Centre Technical Advisor
10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day, and to mark this day and to raise awareness of the measures we can all take to prevent suicides, the Psychosocial Centre has compiled a package or resources about suicide prevetion.
In this week’ s Heartbeat of Humanity podcast episode, Kelly McBride, Technical advisor in the Psychosocial Centre and author of Suicide Prevention and Suicide Prevention during COVID-19 describes the causes of suicide and how suicide can be prevented.
Kelly emphasizes the importance of considering risk factors and protective factors. Risk factors may indicate that a person is more vulnerable to suicide and self-harm. This could include previous suicide attempts, social stigmas, or limited access to mental health care. Protective factors counter-balance risk factors by giving people hope and adding meaning to their lives. This could include having a sense of belonging in their community, embracing a positive self-image and using positive coping strategies.
“There is no one-size-fits-all formula for those who are at risk. It is really important that suicide prevention efforts are geared towards creating an environment where a person feels safe and comfortable and that any stigma is reduced as much as possible so that what could be a risk factor on an individual level can be explored in a safe way.”
– Kelly McBride
The podcast is mainly for staff and volunteers in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, especially staff and volunteers working in mental health and psychosocial support services.
Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or wherever you find your podcasts.
Publications about suicide prevention from the PS Centre
Suicide prevention guidance video for emergency workers, health workers and employers fom the World Health Organization
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