Today Wednesday 10th September is World Suicide Prevention Day – a day to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage connection and healing for those struggling with thoughts of suicide.
Lindsay Chavasse shares how Counselling can help achieve a better understanding of suicide and provide support to prevent it.
Urgent Need for Effective Prevention
“Suicide remains a significant global health concern, with the World Health Organisation reporting more than 700,000 deaths by suicide each year. It is also estimated that for every suicide, there are more than 20 attempts. These numbers highlight not only the widespread impact of suicide but also the urgency of effective prevention strategies.
Risk Factors
Suicidal thoughts can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, background, or circumstance.
However, common risk factors include mental health conditions such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Substance Abuse
- Chronic Illness
- History of Trauma
- Social Isolation
- Recent life crises such as relationship breakdowns or job loss.
Suicide is rarely the result of a single factor – it often stems from a complex interaction of psychological, social, and biological influences.
Warning Signs
While not all suicides are preceded by warning signs, some common indicators include:
- Talking or writing about death or suicide
- Withdrawing from friends, family, or activities
- Expressing feelings of hopelessness or being a burden
- Drastic changes in mood, behaviour, or sleep patterns
- Giving away possessions or saying goodbye.
Seeking Help
Stigma around mental health conditions and suicide means many people thinking about suicide do not seek help. Suicides and suicide attempts have a ripple effect that impacts on families, friends, colleagues, communities and societies.
Early intervention is key. When someone opens up about suicidal thoughts, it is vital to listen without judgement, express care and concern, and encourage them to seek professional help.
Role Of Therapy in Suicide Prevention
Psychotherapy – particularly evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – plays a vital role in suicide prevention.
It provides a safe space for individuals to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. More importantly, it helps people to develop healthier coping mechanisms and challenge distorted thinking patterns that can contribute to suicidal ideation.
How CBT Can Help
CBT is especially effective because it focuses on identifying and restructuring negative thought patterns.
It helps someone struggling with suicidal thoughts to:
- Reframe those thoughts into more balanced, realistic ones
- Build problem-solving skills to handle life stressors more effectively
- Develop emotional regulation and distress-tolerance techniques
- Increase engagement in positive, rewarding activities.
CBT can be adapted specifically for suicide prevention. One such approach is CBT for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP). This is a structured intervention designed to reduce risk by addressing suicidal thoughts directly, developing a crisis response plan, and reinforcing reasons for living.
What You Can Do
If you are concerned about someone:
1 Ask directly if they’re thinking about suicide – it can be a powerful first step and does not increase the risk of that person taking their own life
2 Listen non-judgmentally and let them know they are not alone
3 Encourage professional help
4 Stay connected – even small gestures such as ‘checking in’ can make a difference.
5 Know the resources: Have crisis numbers and local mental health services to hand.
So, on this World Suicide Prevention Day, let us commit to fostering compassion, connection, and hope. Suicide is preventable, and with the right support healing is possible. ”