R U OK?

Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay. The theme this year is suicide and suicide prevention.

Suicide is intentionally causing one down’s death.

Suicide is a tragedy. It can happen at anytime, at any place to anyone at any age.

Often there are warning signs.  But do we know these signs?  Do we know the risk factors?  And if we suspect that someone is suicidal, do we know how to act?

And that is why Awareness Days like these should be opportunities to acquaint ourselves and prevent such tragedies.

Just a quick summary for us to ponder on today:

Every year 800,000 people die by suicide.

One person dies every 40 seconds by suicide.

In the UK, death by suicide increased by 11.8% in 2018. (The message is getting increasingly urgent).

Many more make attempt to end their lives.

It is more proper to say die by suicide than commit suicide.

Suicide is the leading cause of death for 20 to 34 year olds.

In the UK, the highest rate of suicide is among men aged between 45 and 49!

Suicide happens in all spheres of lives including the Church.

Prisons in England  have seen an unprecedented number of deaths by suicide recently.

Nearly half of people with depression appear happy. The term is ‘smiling deppresion.’

There is a link between mental disorders and suicide, but suicide can also be impulsive.

Society often mourns suicide but denies depression

Sometimes all it takes are 3 simple words, R U OK? (‘Are you Ok?’)

We have compiled a Worldwide Suicide Helpline/Hotline. Help us keep this list updated. You can also do your bit of suicide prevention by sharing the suicide hotline list.

Follow up care is also very important for people who have attempted suicide.

Stigma and taboo around mental illness often prevents people challenged with these disorders seeking help, and detection of suicidal tendencies.

In closing, let’s create a world where fewer people die by suicide.

About The Author

Zoe

Zoe met Eze (Chuck) in the 14th year of what turned out to be an 18 year ‘journey’ with mental illness. They got married less than a year of meeting with Zoe fully knowing Chuck had a diagnosis of mental illness. In the 18th year, Chuck defied the odds of mental illness. A consultant psychiatrist signed him off the mental health system with a bill of NO MENTAL ILLNESS. The consultant was so amazed by Chuck’s astonishing recovery that he even questioned how Chuck was diagnosed with mental illness all those years before, in the first place! Today Chuck is free from medication, its dependency and hospitalizations. Zoe’s award nominated book, DEFYING THE ODDS, chronicles the highs and ‘lows’ of this journey. Zoe, often writing from the standpoint of a caregiver, clearly understands that mental illness does not only affect an individual challenged with the disease, but also families, marriages and society as a whole.

See author's posts