World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed on 10 September every year. This day is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in association with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH).
This year organizers’ invites to light a candle, near a window, on World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10th, at 8 PM, in support of suicide prevention, to remember a loved one lost to suicide and for the survivors of suicide.
According WHO, close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds; suicide is a global phenomenon and occurs throughout the lifespan.
Lithuania has the highest suicide rate in the EU, which poses a serious challenge to mental health services, stating Sate of Health in the EU: Lithuania (Country Health Profile 2017; prepared by EOCD). 654 people took their own lives in Lithuanian on 2019 (683 in 2018), according to preliminary figures released by the Institute of Hygiene at the Lithuanian Health Ministry.
In order to raise awareness for Suicide Prevention, Lithuania College of Democracy in a collaboration with Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, Adult education centre „Imanta“ (Latvia) and suicidology experts: Estonia – Sweden Mental Health and Suicidology Institute (Estonia) and National suicide research and prevention centre of Karolinska institute (Sweden) prepared an e-course titled „The basics of understanding and preventing suicidal behaviors: introduction“. The course is accessible in virtual platform: www.socin.eu.
This e-course was prepared carrying out “NordPLUS” project “Reducing risk of Suicide by Education”. The goal of this initiative is to invite research conducting institutions and non-governmental organizations for cooperation and to create high quality suicide prevention material and programme for independent adult learning.
www.lduk.lt information