World Suicide Prevention Day

Today marks World Suicide Prevention Day. Prevention is a mission for society as a whole. Did you know that in Portugal three people die by suicide every day and many more try to kill themselves?

The vast majority of people who die by suicide have depression.

This depression can happen as a reaction to an adverse event, or it can have no apparent reason. In either case, it is a mental illness for which there is treatment.

Knowing how to recognise early signs is half the battle to postpone or even prevent the onset of more serious mental illnesses.

Often this role falls to friends, family, teachers or colleagues to be able to recognise that something isn't right.

• Feeling sad for most of the day
• Losing interest in activities that normally give you pleasure
• Lose or gain weight without dieting.
• Sleeping too much or sleeping less than usual and waking up too early
• Feeling tired all the time
• Feeling useless, guilty and hopeless about the future
• Feeling angry
• Difficulty concentrating, making decisions or remembering things
• Having frequent thoughts of death and suicide

Portugal is the second country with the highest prevalence of psychiatric illness in Europe, only surpassed by Northern Ireland (23.1%).

Did you know that... Mental and behavioural disorders account for 11.8% of the global burden of disease in Portugal, more than oncological diseases (10.4%) and only surpassed by brain and cardiovascular diseases (13.7%)?

?️ Speak - Did you know that many people who commit suicide have already mentioned this desire before?
? Listen - Did you know that many people who have suicidal thoughts feel relieved to talk about it?
? Ask for help - Did you know that many people who attempt suicide suffer from a psychiatric illness that responds to treatment?

Mental health matters. Take care of it.