Event highlights suicide
TO MARK World Suicide Prevention Day yesterday an awareness campaign was hosted at the Silo District at the V&A Waterfront.
The day is marked annually to raise awareness about the increase in global suicide rates.
The rate of suicide has been increasing drastically, especially among men, said the World Health Organisation.
It said about one million suicides were recorded each year. In South Africa, about 10.7 suicides per 10 000 people are recorded annually. The event featured three special guests: Daryl Brown, who survived a suicide attempt; Christine Wessels, who lost her partner to suicide; and Jonathan Manuel, a social worker at Cape Mental Health.
Brown suffers from depression and social anxiety.
“I jumped in front of an underground train in London while I was suffering from my depression. I wasn’t happy and then I lost my legs on top of this.
“It was a turning point for me when I decided to speak to a psychologist. They knew what I was going through.”
Manuel said there needed to be a balance between physical, emotional, psychological, social, financial and spiritual well-being. He said men were less likely to speak about their mental health or illnesses due to the stigma surrounding it.
Garron Gsell, chief executive and founder of Movember SA, said: “We hope men will start talking about their health issues and this is most importantly why this campaign was established.”