World Suicide Prevention Day: One suicide happens every four minutes according to statistics

Majority of suicides can be prevented on timely intervention, any person with suicidal tendency can be easily convinced through dialogue and timely counselling, experts said on Monday. (Also read: 3000 people commit suicide every day) 'Suicidal tendency is a mental illness - it can be prevented through timely intervention. Any person with the tendency can be easily identified. Nowadays many communicate it through social networking site or share it with friends and relatives that they are in emotional turmoil.

'At these situation the kith and kin friends should intervene and convince them,' said Sunil Mittal, director, Cosmos Institute of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences (CIMBS). 'Only when we talk about suicide and its causes that we can build an atmosphere of hope and resilience at home and the community to help prevent suicide,' he added.

On the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day, observed on Sep 10, CIMBS launched a year long public campaign 'Let's Talk to Prevent Suicide'. (Also read: I am broken inside : Lessons from Jiah Khan s death and suicide note)

Giving an example, psychiatrists informed that had actress Jiah Khan, who committed suicide recently, hinted about her suicidal tendency on a social networking site, timely help could have saved her.

'Individuals with poor problem solving skills, impulsivity, interpersonal relationships have a high risk of deliberate self harm and suicide,' said clinical psychologist Mitalli Srivastava.

'Identifying and helping those attempting suicide can bring down suicidal rates, motives can vary early identification and counselling will help to reduce the suicide rates,' said CIMBS co-ordinator Sameer Kalani.

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the majority of people committing suicide are in the age of 15 to 49 years.

As per NCRB statistics, the last year alone a total of 135,445 people committed suicide, which ranges to 371 suicides per day or one suicide every four minutes. (Also read: Sit down for that cup of hot coffee it might just save your life)

If you are prone to suicidal thoughts very often, here some things you can do to help yourself

• Talk tosomeone before you act on your impulse. Thoughts of self-harm are highly intense, loaded with emotion. But they are fairly short-lived. Their intensity reduces by talking and/or crying it out. It takes a split second to act but if you let the impulse pass, the feeling passes by.
• Communicate with family, close ones, friends. If you cannot talk freely to anyone, a counsellor or psychologist can help you get a neutral view on what is happening.
• Mission ME FIRST! Write nice things about yourself (or get your good friends to write it for you) and paste in on your wall. Make yourself your first priority. Pamper yourself with things you like. Surround yourself with people you like..

(Read more: How to deal with suicidal thoughts)

Source: IANS