By Ruth Dery
Tema, Sept. 5, GNA – The Tema Health Directorate has rolled out a holistic programme to mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2023 (WSPD), which seeks to raise awareness about the risk factors, causes of suicide, and the ways out.
“A Renewed Worldwide Commitment to Prevent Suicide: Creating Hope Through Action” is the triennial theme for the WSPD from 2021 to 2023, which is commemorated on September 10, each year.
The suicide prevention advocacy aimed at continually encouraging people to hope, create a sense of possibility, and create a place of solution while strengthening prevention through strategies at all levels of society.
Mr. Pious Tay, Mental Health Coordinator, explained that the Tema Metro Health Directorate considered the GNA health project “Your Health: Our Collective Responsibility” as a major platform to help educate the public and promote domestic action to prevent suicides.
The weekly “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility! A Ghana News Agency initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy
Mr. Tay noted that it was crucial to scale up preventive measures and offer alternative solutions to human challenges.
He described suicide as a significant public health issue that needed creation of awareness, promotion of knowledge, and conversations to help send a message of hope to those struggling with suicidal thoughts.
He said the Tema Metro Health Directorate, as part of the activities to commemorate the day, would embark on a series of educational campaigns in various Senior High Schools and Junior High Schools to educate the youth on how to handle suicide tendencies and other mental health issues.
Mr. Tay said media programmes promoting suicide awareness and prevention while spreading information to the general public about decreasing stigma around suicide would also be undertaken to celebrate the day.
He said the media could play a crucial role in raising awareness and providing information about suicide prevention by demystifying the topic, sharing accurate information, and promoting resources.
“The media can help individuals recognise warning signs and offer support to those in need. It is, therefore, important for media outlets to handle this sensitive topic responsibly and provide resources for those seeking help,” he said.
According to Mr. Tay, one’s expression of feeling trapped, substance abuse, withdrawal from friends, relationship loss, health crisis, business breakdown, expression of hopelessness, and depression are common acts that are signs of an attempt at suicide.
He said as World Suicide Prevention Day was a critical platform to raise awareness about suicide risk factors, causes, prevention strategies, and the importance of mental health by educating the public and promoting resources, the day would contribute to reducing the incidence of suicides and suicide attempts.
“It is essential to continue these efforts to create a supportive environment and provide help to those who need it. It is a collective effort, and so we want all to spark conversations about suicide, show interest in one another, and make remarkable statements in the lives of others”.
Dr. Sally Quartey, Tema Metro Health Director, explained that WSPD was first introduced by the International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP) and noted that this year’s awareness creation was on the global theme: “Creating Hope through Action”.
GNA