Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY 2011 World Suicide Prevention Day is held on September 10th each year. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented. Disseminating information, improving education and training, and decreasing stigmatization are important tasks in such an endeavour. The theme in 2011 is "Preventing Suicide in Multicultural Societies". The themes of the last two years of the World Suicide Prevention Day have focussed on suicide prevention in different cultures across the world. This year's theme aims at raising awareness of the fact that all countries in the world are multicultural. Many countries harbour different minority groups, in the form of various indigenous and/or immigrant groups, refugees and/or asylum seekers. Some countries comprise many different ethnic groups due to artificial borders having been drawn by former colonial powers. This means that in all countries there are a variety of ethnic and religious groups living in the same society. Multicultural societies require cultural sensitivity in all suicide prevention efforts. However, a common mistake is to treat culture as something objective that explains differences. When we find differences between cultural groups in a society, e.g. suicide rates and risk factors, we tend to explain these in terms of cultural differences. This can, however, conceal the real reasons for differences that may or may not have something to do with culture at all. Examples of other factors that may be important are unemployment, poverty, oppression, marginalisation, stigmatisation, or racism. Moreover, culture is not a static or measurable variable; rather culture describes the dynamics evolving in an interaction between individuals and their surroundings. So, at the same time as we need to be culturally sensitive and aware of potential cultural differences, we must not let "culture" overshadow other important factors that might be at play. Neither must we overlook similarities in our vigilance to find differences. The WHO estimates that about one million people around the world die by suicide every year. However, many countries still lack reliable suicide statistics, and even countries with reliable statistics may lack knowledge about the magnitude of the problem in (some of) their minority populations. This knowledge might also be challenging to acquire due to stigma having a larger impact in various minority groups compared to the majority. Nevertheless, such information is needed. Some studies have shown that suicide rates among immigrants are more similar to the suicide rates of those in their original country compared to the new country in which they have settled. Other studies, however, show that this varies across country and subgroup. Therefore, we need to be careful about drawing universal conclusions. Risk factors for suicide vary across cultural groups. Knowledge about common risk factors in a society often stems from research in majority populations. However, in a multicultural context we need to be aware that some risk factors may play different roles in the suicidal process as well as in suicide prevention for some minority groups compared to the majority population. For instance, risk factors for elderly men in the majority population may have little relevance for young immigrant girls. In addition, other factors that might have a different impact on minorities compared to the majority population are attitudes towards suicidal behaviour and suicidal people (e.g. taboo, stigma), religion and spirituality, and family dynamics (gender roles and responsibilities). Studies have shown that stereotyping might be common in the health and social care system in dealing with minority groups. Therefore, we need to be careful to distinguish between how the rules and traditions of a cultural group define how members of that group may or should behave and how individuals from a cultural group actually do behave. We must not let stereotypes rule what we perceive or do. Some of the previous research reporting average values for immigrant groups or comparing heterogeneous groups of immigrants with the majority population in the country may contribute to such stereotyping in suicide prevention. However, it gives little meaning to compare the relatively homogeneous majority population in a small country such as, for instance, Norway, with Asian immigrants to this country since the latter group can comprise people from a vast number of very different countries, cultures and religions, as Asia stretches out from the Middle East to Siberia. In the health and social care system the individual must not be met as a representative of a cultural group, but be allowed to be themselves with their own beliefs, attitudes, understandings, thoughts, and knowledge. Gender issues and racism in therapeutic settings are important to be aware of in multicultural societies. Use of interpreters in the health and social care system also requires special attention when a sensitive issue such as suicide is on the agenda. Often, minority populations in a community are small and interpreters are recruited from the same social circle as the client. If suicidality is particularly taboo or stigmatised in the minority group, it may be necessary to check the interpreters' attitudes towards suicidal behaviour and suicidal people because these might affect both what is being said by the client as well as what is translated and how by the interpreter. National suicide prevention strategies have now been implemented in several countries, but not all of them reflect the fact that the country is comprised of various minority groups. The strategy/program is often aimed at the majority population and a specific cultural perspective or focus is missing. Strategies therefore may need revision with this in mind and countries still not having initiated suicide prevention efforts should integrate a cultural perspective from the start. Even though suicide is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon with cultural differences, there are still some suicide prevention efforts that might have "universal" effect. •Experiences of connectedness are important in the mental health and wellbeing of all people. Thus, communities that are well integrated and cohesive may be suicide preventive. •Educating professionals of health and social services as well as communities in general about how to identify people at risk for suicide, encouraging those who need it to seek help, and providing them with needed and adequate help can reduce rates of suicide. These efforts require both cultural sensitivity and cultural competence. •Methods of suicide vary across cultural contexts, but restricting access to whatever means are commonly employed has been found to be effective in reducing the number of suicides (e.g. safe storage of firearms, pesticides and medicines; restricting access to bridges and high rise buildings commonly used as jumping sites). •Educating the media on how to report on suicide responsibly, and •Providing adequate support for people who are bereaved by suicide. Suicide prevention in multicultural societies needs to be targeted as a multidisciplinary effort. Effective suicide prevention involves a multifaceted and intersectoral approach to address the multiple pathways to suicidal behaviour in a socio-cultural context. People who can contribute to suicide prevention include, for instance, health and social care professionals, researchers, teachers, police, journalists, religious leaders, cultural leaders, politicians and community leaders, volunteers, and relatives and friends affected by suicidal behaviour. People also tend to open up to bartenders, hairdressers, and taxi drivers, among others. In short, suicide prevention is everybody's business, and thus everyone can contribute. http://www.iasp.info/wspd/
September 10th, very coincidental isn't it, just one day before the suicide terrorists flew the planes into the buildings in America. :shrug:
Quickly reading the title of the thread, I missed the word 'prevention'. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
in Australia in 2009 6 people died everyday from suicide and there were 20 attempts for each death In the US 30,622 people commited suicide in 2001 which equates to 83.9 people per day and someone tried to comit suicide every 40 SECONDS http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&s...-rjpBA&usg=AFQjCNHY3sEl085w6w5t8FAoMWOvr1vhNA Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I just can't figure this out. In virtually every society on earth, it's acceptable for people to kill other people. They have various names for it, but the two most common are war and capital punishment. In both cases, the government itself kills people, and in both cases the people it kills do not want to die. In both cases there is considerable support among the population for these killings. In the case of war, citizens actually volunteer to kill perfect strangers. Yet at the same time, in virtually every society on earth, it is not acceptable for people to kill themselves. These are people who actually want to die. Governments go to considerable extremes to stop people from killing themselves, to the point of making the attempt a crime, resulting in punishment (or psychiatric "care") that makes them feel even worse and makes them even more eager to die. Citizens support this government policy just as enthusiastically as they support war. They try very hard to talk their friends out of committing suicide, they report them to the police (even the moderators of this website have done that!), and they even try to hospitalize them and make them feel even worse. Is this a nationwide, nay planet-wide case of cognitive dissonance? "We can kill you, but you had better not do it yourself."
a) thats irrelivent because you arnt talking about criminals b) actually most natiuns except the US and china have baned the death penelty, infact i think of the top of my head there are only 8 countries which still use it
No, they do not like unpaid debts, orphans, emotionally devastated widows. People who kill themselves leave behind a trail of financial, social and psychological problems for other people. Each homicide also neds to be investigated, to clarify whether it was murder or suicide. This costs taxpayers' money and resources of the law enforcement. If it turns out it was suicide, the money and resources were wasted, and could have been spent on actual crimes.
Well that's not correct because they try to help them at the hospital not hurt them. I've never gone to any hospital that made me feel worse than when I went in there for which was to get help. Can youi explain to me why you say this because it doesn't make sense to me.
@ Fraggle...I enthusiastically try and talk anyone I encounter who's contemplating it out of suicide...and one of the arguments I've used is this one: "Have you tried every possible way to get better? No? but all those ways are still less permanent than suicide. Suicide never stops being an option. So try everything else first. It's just practical. " You can spend 20 years trying everything psychology and psychiatry has to offer to treat depression...and chances are something will help. I don't regret six weeks in a looneybin when I was a teenager...most helpful. The abuse survivor's board I was going to and now go to again...had a 22-year old member kill herself. She was a very kind, bright girl, couldn't get past what had happened to her.:bawl:
I'm really wondering what a sciforum poll would reveal about the members here if asked "have you ever tried to kill yourself?"
I don't think that would be very helpful but asking if they are having mental problems or suffering depression would be.
If the person who kills themselves blames "others" for their own condition then , to them, yes. However everyone knows that isn't true because it was their decision to kill themselves not someone forcing them to.
From what I've been reading here, a lot of posters have tried to kill themselves. It is a scientific analytical mind that is more likely?
sure cosmic but why do you think rates of depression and suicide (and other mental illnesses) are much much higher in the homosexual community? Suicide is how depression kills sure but what starts depression? There is a genetic componant sure but is that all there is to it? Psycology shows that no its not all genetic, there are large social and enviromental causes too and one of the biggest in the homosexual community is the religious right. You seriously think you can put up with this http://www.google.com.au/search?q=G...a=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CBQQ_AUoAQ on a continuas basis and not suffer mental damage? Be treated as a second class citizan, unable to marry the person you love? to be told the relationship you care about 'deserves to be ridiculed' (Bob Katter, August 17th, 2011 http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/08/17/258141_news.html) You think that doesnt have an effect? Thats what i was refering to cosmic. Orleander just seems to have an issue with me and its sad to see her use a thread about a vital issue like this to start a tit for tat for whatever wrong i have surposedly done to her
Many people just live together and never marry even though they are "in love" with each other and they don't go out and commit suicide because they aren't married or ridiculed for not getting married. I've not known of two men / two women that live together get ridiculed for doing so. Do you know of many that do?
sure, i live with my partner because i CHOSE to, i have that choice, no religious nuts are stopping me, no religious nuts are saying that if my partner has a child im not its parent, im not even a step parent, i have no legal rights at all. That as well as constant abuse is the way homosexuals have to live. And yes, my best friend is gay, he cant even tell his family, hes to afraid of how they will react so he cant even find a partner because he is to afraid of what his religious nut family will say.
