World Suicide Prevention Day
This year the theme for World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is ‘Preventing Suicide across the Life Span: Dreams and Realities’.
WSPD is held each year on 10 September in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Association for Suicide Prevention (ISAP).
Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA) will this year host its two key national activities in Melbourne, including the annual Life awards at Federation Square and a community Forum at the Melbourne Town Hall.
The available statistics show that in many countries suicide rates are highest amongst the elderly aged 85 or older. In Australia men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women.
Bereavement due to death by suicide is a complex issue, with individual grief taking years to overcome and the family bereavement process possibly taking generations. The social stigma attached to suicide compounds the grief, and family and friends of the dead are often left with many unsolved questions.
SPA acknowledges these difficulties and has made an ongoing commitment to support those bereaved by suicide and to direct support for those on the trajectory of risk.
