Newsletter: International Suicide Prevention Month

September is an important month in the world of mental health.  Across the world, it is recognized as International Suicide Prevention Month, and International Suicide Prevention Day is observed on September 10th. Sisters Living Works (SLW) worked tirelessly to commemorate this month. We reached out to the community through campaigns, workshops, events, and public conferences to make this month meaningful. To remind everyone that suicide is preventable.

We kicked off the month by organizing an Intercollegiate Art Competition in association with Cosmopolitan’s Valia College of Arts and Commerce. We received over 200 entries for essay writing, slogan writing and poster making competitions. Keeping in mind the reach and the need to spread awareness among all strata of society, we opened the entries in regional languages – Hindi and Marathi. 

The winners were announced on September 12th at the 6th annual Suicide Prevention Conference.

This was closely followed by Sisters Living Works’ 6th Annual International Suicide Prevention Day Conference, held virtually on 12th September 2020. The programs at this event helped build connections and share experiences with an enthusiastic and empathetic crowd of professionals, individuals, and families. There were over 200 participants from different countries. The lockdown may have closed the borders physically, but it opened our reach virtually. 

The conference began with an introduction to our work in Suicide Prevention by Ms. Devika Kapoor.  Following the welcome note, Founder of Sisters Living Works, Ms. Gayatri Datta, enlightened the guests about the organization’s mission and its importance especially during this pandemic. 

She emphasized our goals to educate, encourage help-seeking behavior, guide individuals to work together in eliminating the stigma that revolves around suicide. Ms. Datta encouraged all to talk about and share their personal experiences with suicide or mental illness. These little steps, conversations, and creation of safe spaces are, after all, the building blocks to debunking the stigma and taboo related to suicide.​    

Ms. Vaishaly and Ms. Anushree proceeded to take over as hosts for the rest of the event. ​                                      

Our first speaker, Ms. Shobha Menon, Principal of Cosmopolitan’s Valia College spoke on the ‘Art for Change’ Competition, organized by the college in collaboration with SLW. She explained how the “Art for Change” competition encouraged the younger generation to start thinking about suicide prevention. Over 200 students competed and started a conversation on suicide preventative measures.   

Our next speaker, Ms. Sheetal Lakhani, a clinical psychologist spoke about the role of first responders in preventing suicides. She focused on creating strategies and highlighted on the importance of trainings for the first responders.    

Immediately after, Ms. Nikita Gagneja continued ​on the same topic offering an even more nuanced and inclusive perspective, including the plight of marginalized communities. First responders play an important role in saving the lives of those often overlooked, she said.

Ms. Abhilasha Rawat talked about the deep and far-reaching impact trauma has on individuals often leading to suicidal ideation or death by suicide. She shared an anecdote, from her professional experience of a woman who had experienced complex trauma making her more vulnerable to thoughts of suicide. She stressed on the importance of support systems on the lives of trauma-afflicted individuals in spotting the warning signs before a suicidal event.  

Dr. Anjali Chhabria, a renowned psychiatrist and author of ‘Death is not
the Answer’, spoke on behalf of mental health professionals and the effect their profession has on their mental health. She explained that they too need to take care of themselves and take frequent breaks from work. She emphasized that mental health practitioners mustn’t feel guilty in the event of individuals responding negatively to treatment or relapsing. Dr. Chhabria concluded by detailing small and practical steps that can be taken by all in the community in preventing suicides.

Dr. Harish Shetty, an eminent psychiatrist, talked about ‘shame’ our culture inflicts upon those seeking help for mental illness.  Thus, many shy away from help-seeking behavior.  This pandemic has isolated people from those who can help. Removing shame is a pivotal step towards preventing suicides, allowing more people to feel safe and reach out for help. Dr. Shetty thanked us for our work in this regard through the workshops, support groups, and conferences we organize.

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The conference concluded with an intensive discussion where the audience put forward questions to the panel. Some thought-provoking questions came our way, such as:

•  “The youth today don’t have open communication with parents, how do we sensitize this situation so children are not fearful about their parents’ reaction?”

People are entitled to a safe space at home, school, and college, said Dr. Shetty. It is important to talk to someone one trusts and encouraged parents to be empathetic. In schools and colleges, a 10-minute session after every lecture to talk about emotions can help a great deal.
Creating a gym or physical activity room for relaxation is also crucial.

• “How do we as laymen recognize if someone is suicidal?”

Dr. Chhabria, in response, reminded us that people who want to die do talk about it; it is us who do not listen because we do not know how to react. They display clear symptoms, verbal or non-verbal.

Dr. Chhabria shared some signs to look for:
– Statements such as, “Life is not worth living”, or “I want to die”, or “I am going to kill myself”.
– Behavioral changes like saying “thank you” to people out of the blue, giving gifts, or completing pending tasks.
– Some individuals might feel very depressed and as such, they may withdraw from others completely, their appetite and sleep patterns may get disturbed.

Numerous such questions followed, doubts were clarified, thoughts were heard, and feelings were shared.

July to September 2020 was busy as we reached over 3,750 people through workshops, live social media sessions with colleges and mental health groups. Here the Sisters Living Works team addressed important areas of concern, and advocated the need to spread awareness, reach out, listen, and break stigmas.

The support groups during the Covid-19 quarantine observed a gradual increase in the number of participants. Our support group coordinator and counsellor, Devika Kapoor, noted that the pandemic led to many people seeking support and reaching out. Owing to the increasing demands and the current crisis, we increased the frequency of the support groups that are conducted each month. 

Currently, we conduct three support groups on the second, third and fourth Tuesday of each month. 

Every year, in the month of November we observe International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. This year it falls on the 21st of November 2020. As always, we have partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to put together a meaningful and heart-warming virtual event for survivors. Plans are underway for this event already. While the pandemic keeps us confined indoors, we won’t let that stop us from bringing together those touched by suicide for a day of virtual connection, support, hope, and healing through shared experiences!

​It has been a wonderful month of sharing stories and resources at Sisters Living Works. Providing someone with undivided attention, persistence in talking to someone who is troubled and not promise confidentiality if you suspect they may harm themselves or others are some of the helpful lessons that we were able to impart to the community.

The SLW Team extends our gratitude and appreciation for the efforts rendered by the speakers, guests, interns, volunteers, delegates and all those involved in bringing our events to a successful completion.​

Let’s spread awareness. Let’s save more lives.

We thank you for your love and support!
Stay Safe!
Sisters Living Works Team.