According to the International Association for Suicide Prevention, every year, more than 800,000 people die by suicide and up to 25 times as many make a suicide attempt. Behind these statistics are the individual stories of those who have, for many different reasons, questioned the value of their own lives.
Each one of these individuals is part of a community. Some may be well linked in to this community, and have a network of family, friends and work colleagues or school mates. Others may be less well connected, and some may be quite isolated. Regardless of the circumstances, communities have an important role to play in supporting those who are vulnerable.
This sentiment is reflected in the theme of the 2017 World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10: ‘Take a minute, change a life.’ As members of communities, it is our responsibility to look out for those who may be struggling, check in with them, and encourage them to tell their story in their own way and at their own pace. Offering a gentle word of support and listening in a non-judgemental way can make all the difference.
Our Guest on your favourite RivEthics Radio Programme this week is Dr. Adiukwu Frances, a neuropsychologist with the University of Port Harcourt, who would be speaking on how we can help prevent suicide within within our communities. We do believe you’d find this episode useful as we all work together to keep our communities safer and more habitable for all of us.
You can also listen to and download the Pidgin English version of this Episode below