On 4 September, The Sunday Morning Brunch conducted a Facebook Live session with Counselling Psychologist Nivendra Uduman, where we discussed the topic of suicide and its realities; what can be done to become more aware of it and how to work towards its prevention, etc.
The event titled “Walking life’s tightrope: Suicide – the reality, awareness, and prevention” shed light on the current realities of suicide, and the fact that suicide has evolved into a public health concern rather than being only a mental health-related issue.
Nivendra mentioned that in 1995 Sri Lanka was identified as the country with the highest suicide rate in the world – at a rate of 47 per 100,000 people – where death-by-suicide posed a glaring public health crisis. He shared that this was somewhat of a wakeup call for the authorities, as our Government at the time instated a Government task force while numerous non-governmental organisations all came up with and implemented multiple policies and practices to attend to the matter at hand.
He shared that since then the numbers have certainly come down. However, suicide remains a public health crisis, with the reported numbers likely being far less accurate than the reality of the situation. The latest statistics for Sri Lanka show a suicide rate of 15 per 100,000 people, however Nivendra added that the attempt rate is much higher and that they say that for every death-by-suicide there could be 25 or more attempts made every day. “Unfortunately this attempt rate is not recorded, and we don’t have the data to back that up,” he said.
“It is a complex public health problem in the world, it is not an isolated mental health-related problem. The community, the public, and the authorities, are all equally responsible for prevention and educating ourselves about it, and this way we can all work to prevent it,” said Nivendra.
When we are to look at the global context, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) claims that every 40 seconds someone takes their life – that is almost 800,000 people a year around the world, with over 75% of suicides occurring in low-and-middle-income countries. This has made suicide a global concern and a serious public health issue in every country.
In light of World Suicide Prevention Day which falls on 10 September, Nivendra shared a message in line with this year’s theme of “Creating Hope Through Action” – an optimistic message that aims to inspire confidence in people to engage with this complex subject, as he added: “As a community we must all take initiative and make an effort to educate ourselves. To learn how to identify the signs, learn what one can do to prevent it from happening.”
He further shared that while things are a lot better than they were back in 1995, we can still do better. With one of our country’s primary concerns being creating awareness and prevention; as there exists a lack of conversation in areas beyond Colombo. He stated that often we tend to talk about suicide prevention in September when World Suicide Prevention Day rolls around, and there are webinars and numerous initiatives which will only reach a limited population. Nivendra shared that the reason for the message not reaching beyond the confines of Colombo city, in his opinion, is that it simply lacks any solid initiative and a general lack of resources.
When it comes to suicide prevention, much like this year’s theme “Creating Hope through Action” signifies, it is important to note that we must all take on a role in empowering and equipping ourselves and those around us with the skills and confidence to connect with someone we think may be struggling.
If you feel that you or someone you know may be dealing with mental health issues and/or suicidal thoughts, the following institutions would assist you.
The National Institute of Mental Health: 1926
Sri Lanka Sumithrayo: 0112 682 535
Shanthi Maargam: 0717 639 898
Courage Compassion Commitment (CCC) Foundation: 1333
