On the 10th of September, Springer Nature hosted an awareness campaign for World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD24), with this year’s theme being “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”. The campaign, set up by the International Association for Suicide Prevention in conjunction with the World Health Organisation (WHO), aims to highlight this important public health issue and disseminate the message that suicides are preventable.  

The Statistics 

More than 720,000 people commit suicide every year, with an estimation of an additional 20 suicide attempts for every death. In 2021, suicide was the third leading cause of death amongst 15–29- year- olds globally, with 73% of all suicides occurring in low- to- middle- income countries [1].  To combat this and many other global issues, the WHO introduced the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with target 3.4 of SDG3 specifying the aim to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by one- third by 2030, through prevention, treatment and mental health and well-being promotion [2]. Reflective of this, the awareness day campaign aimed to highlight articles and collections, published by Springer Nature, focusing on current barriers, suicide prevention methods, at- risk minority groups, mental health support methods, and the connection between mental health and the risk of suicide.  

How is Springer Nature raising awareness? 

Springer Nature’s publications span a variety of relevant topics; however, particular focus was given to supporting WSPD24’s theme of “Changing the Narrative on Suicide” by highlighting books and articles focused on tackling the stigma surrounding even the mere discussion of common topics and risk factors related to suicide. Relevant chapters published by Springer include Stereotypes, Stigma, and Social/Mass Media in Women’s Behavioral Health in Woman’s Behavioral Health and Risk Detection and Suicide Prevention in the Workplace in Workplace Wellness: From Resiliency to Suicide Prevention and Grief Management – A Practical Guide to Supporting Healthcare Professionals; these chapters were both showcased on the WSPD24 web page. Both shared similar outlines in which they aimed to examine how the social construction of stigmas and stereotypes associated with behavioural health disorders affect and are affected by the physical and virtual societies in which they exist. These chapters concluded by proposing various approaches for suicide prevention with one of the main focuses being on stigma reduction.  

Additionally, Springer Nature not only spreads awareness of the importance of good mental health but also provides support internally to its employees. Some of the schemes currently available to Springer Nature colleagues include the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), the Wellbeing Champions and the Wellbeing lending library.  

Why is World Suicide Prevention Day important? 

Stigma around mental health conditions and suicide means many people who have attempted or are thinking about suicide do not seek help. Due to this, in many countries the prevention of suicide has not been adequately addressed, with currently only 38 countries possessing a national suicide prevention strategy [3]. This lack of infrastructure, alongside the taboo and sometimes illegality of suicide, often results in people unable to receive proper care or guidance on their conditions, increasing the likelihood of an individual to take their own life. As of the 9th of September 2024, The Lampard Inquiry was launched to investigate and examine mental health deaths within the public. With the initial focus being on the county of Essex and with potential plans to eventually go nationwide, this inquiry will aim to understand what happened to the patients who died within children and adult inpatient units under the care of the NHS between the years of 2000 and 2023 [4]. The results of the inquiry will be used to highlight key failings within the system and apply these critical insights to facilitating better services nationwide [5].  

The Lampard Inquiry, is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, being the first public inquiry specifically looking into mental health deaths, demonstrating a promising development towards achieving target 3.4 of SDG3. Mental health developments such as this are becoming more prevalent and are aiding in the normalisation of discussion topics, such as the prioritisation of good mental health schemes, suicide prevention methods and accessibility to free mental health advice, with the UK having recently introduced the 24/7 urgent mental health helpline to its pre-existing non-emergency helpline, 111 [6]. In addition, to this, many charities such as Mind and the Samaritans have their own helplines available on their websites, alongside a series of other emergency contact details for other mental wellbeing or suicide prevention charities. 

Conclusions 

WSPD24 is a vital campaign for raising awareness of suicide, its risk factors and what preventive measures can be adopted to help people struggling. In recent years, great strides have been taken to aid in achieving the 3.4 target of SDG3, with companies like Springer Nature being great examples of what other businesses can do to raise awareness for suicide prevention and provide support to their employees who need it. However, despite these support networks becoming more common in companies, which helps to destigmatise mental health, this is unfortunately not true globally. Many countries are still yet to introduce national suicide prevention strategies which can be vital to individuals seeking to take their own lives, further stressing the importance of awareness days such as WSPD24 and how these campaigns save lives. 

References

1. World Health Organization (2019) https://www.who.int/health-topics/suicide#tab=tab_1
2. United Nations (2015) https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal3#targets_and_indicators
3. World Health Organization (2024) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide
4. Fox, N. (2024). What is the Lampard mental health public inquiry? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qgyye3y2wo
5. The Lampard Inquiry - investigating mental health deaths in Essex. (2024)  https://lampardinquiry.org.uk/about-the-inquiry/
6. England, NHS. (2024) https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/08/nhs-111-offering-crisis-mental-health-support-for-the-first-time/

Picture Source: World Health Organisation (World Suicide Prevention Day Banner)