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MANILA, Philippines?World Suicide Prevention Day will be marked on Sept. 10 with the theme ?Many Faces, Many Places: Suicide Prevention Across the World? to underscore the importance of an international effort to prevent suicides.
Although there are significant differences in the profiles of suicidal individuals in different parts of the globe, a common thread and risk factors are indicated in most completed suicide attempts, the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation (NGF) said in a press statement.
The NGF with support from the Department of Health (DoH) is launching for the first time in the Philippines a series of activities to heighten awareness about suicide prevention.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 3,000 people commit suicide around the globe daily, or one every 40 seconds. For every suicide, 20 or more may have attempted to end their lives, it said.
In the Philippines, the DoH has reported that about five people take their own lives each day, with the 20-24 age group having the highest suicide rate.
Suicide is a major cause of premature death influenced by psychosocial, cultural and environmental risk factors that can be prevented through responses that address the risk factors.
Suicides are underreported to avoid socio-cultural stigma, evade police investigations and legal harassment, and collect insurance. Suicides are also misclassified as accidents, thus official numbers are gross underestimates.
There is strong evidence to indicate that adequate responses can reduce suicide rates, the NGF said in its statement.
World Suicide Prevention Day was started in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) with support from the WHO.
World Suicide Prevention Day aims to raise awareness that suicide is preventable; improve the education about suicide; and decrease the stigma and debunk the myths surrounding the act.
The WHO and IASP work with governments and other partners to ensure that suicide is no longer stigmatized, criminalized or penalized.
