International Association for Suicide Prevention Offers a World Suicide Prevention Day Toolkit

OSLO, NORWAY, August 15, 2012

The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) co-sponsor World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) every year on September 10th.

IASP has prepared a World Suicide Prevention Day 2012 Toolkit that offers users easy access to World Suicide Prevention Day resources and related Web sites. (http://iasp.info/wspd/pdf/2012_wspd_toolkit.pdf)

The toolkit - a PDF document - includes links to: the official WSPD brochure "Suicide Prevention Across the Globe: Strengthening Protective Factors and Instilling Hope," the theme of this year's event, and a list of suggested activities to mark the Day.

Also included are links to World Suicide Prevention Day banners in 39 languages. The IASP has created these banners so that bloggers and writers can help increase suicide prevention awareness locally and worldwide by writing about suicide and suicide prevention in their native languages. Find links to Suicide Facts and Figures or Light a Candle Near a Window at 8pm e-cards.

The Toolkit also includes the World Suicide Prevention Day 2012 QR Code so that users can share the WSPD Web site on the cell phones.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Approximately one million people worldwide die by suicide each year. This corresponds to one death by suicide every 40 seconds. The number of lives lost each year through suicide exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined. These staggering figures do not include suicide attempts which may be up to 20 times the number of deaths by suicide, which works out to be one attempt every 1.5 seconds.

The economic costs associated with self-inflicted death or injuries are estimated to be in the billions of US dollars a year. The psychological and social impact of suicide on the family and community is staggering.

Suicide is a multi-determined phenomenon that occurs against a background of complex interacting biological, social, psychological and environmental risk and protective factors. However, despite the complexity of this phenomenon, suicide can be prevented.

Additional World Suicide Prevention Day resources and information can be found at: http://www.iasp.info/wspd
It is anticipated that World Suicide Prevention Day will be observed this year in well over 50 countries.

Established in Vienna, in 1960, by the late Professor Erwin Ringel, IASP is the key Non-Government Organization in official relations with the World Health Organization in addressing suicide. IASP has brought global attention to the unacceptable loss of approximately 1 million people each year worldwide who die by suicide.

IASP is a unique multidisciplinary organization with its membership coming from 50 countries, primarily from the mental health professions, but with additional members from such disciplines as sociology, social work, anthropology, medicine, public health, education, corrections, probation, coroners/medical examiners, pathology and philosophy.

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For further information, please contact:

Mrs. Vanda Scott OBE
Development Consultant
Tel: +44 7824 9955 67
office@iasp.info

Kenneth Hemmerick
Webmaster
Tel: 1-438-930-4275
webmaster@iasp.info