Suicide Prevention - The Gravity of its importance

Trigger Warning - Suicide

Suicide is difficult, but a must conversation to address nevertheless. 

The growing fast-paced lifestyle in recent years has engendered several prominent as well as subtle impacts on one’s emotional, mental, and social health. Individuals of all ages are struggling with either of the following during the pandemic - unemployment, chronic stress, interminable screen time, ambiguity in education, burnout, and poor sleep. 

With individual wellbeing taking a backseat, adverse effects of not having the appropriate resources to cope with these challenges are now taking a toll on global mental health and wellbeing. Across the world, someone commits suicide every 40 seconds; such alarming estimations have long been known, yet preliminary symptoms of suicide - feelings of hopelessness, demotivation, despair, overwhelming sadness, substance abuse, social isolation are very much prevalent in society even now.

More often than not the “urge to die” stems from one’s thoughts and feelings and both are transitory and ever changing. Checking on one’s mental and emotional state is just as important, if not more, than one’s physical health. The ripples of the micro stressors faced every day can only harm one’s universal health as emotional, mental, physical health are all interconnected.

Individuals can contribute to the cause by enhancing community awareness and equipping themselves with resources to deal with suicide. The need for suicide prevention awareness can never be overemphasised. Personal struggles are grappled by every second person which is exactly what makes it necessary to have discussions about suicide and its prevention in open spaces with care and responsibility.