World Suicide prevention day 2020: See all about its history, meaning & Significance

World Suicide prevention day is observed every September 10 to create awareness amongst people about taking action and helping prevent suicide cases across borders. On this day, several events are organised to make people understand how to reach out to people who seem to be in need of help or are depressed or suicidal. Read on to know about the history, significance and the events conducted on this day. 

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World suicide prevention day history

According to the statistics by WHO in 2019, one person takes their life every 40 seconds. This estimate came after WHO took a survey and analysed the cases reported all over the world. In the year 2003, Suicide Prevention Day was first founded by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the World Health Organisation. The work of the IASP includes preventing suicidal behaviour amongst people, alleviating its effects, and providing a forum for people to contact and make distress calls. IASP was established in 1960 by late Professor Erwin Ringel and Dr Norman Faberlow in Vienna. IASP now has employees and volunteers from 77 countries, it is a non-government organisation aimed to prevent suicide all over the world.

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World suicide prevention day significance

IASP organises events periodically to make more and more people included in their agenda to decrease overall suicide numbers in communities. IASP also creates banners in different languages to create awareness amongst all generations. It also created a document which discusses the signs which one shouldn’t neglect in a person and reach out to them in the times of distress as well. Since 2003, every year September 10th is observed as World Suicide Prevention Day to create awareness regarding suicide prevention across the world.

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IASP's World suicide prevention day official website

The official website has a brochure which is available in multiple languages. The site also has WSPD i.e. World suicide prevention day banners and 'Light a Candle' postcards, which is an initiative by the IASP.  People can even refer to the facts and figures from the website. People can also check about IASP’s 'Cycle Around the Globe' event that is conducted every year as well. The website has a list of events that are carried out around the world to create awareness amongst people about suicide prevention. 

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