WHO Resources: World Mental Health Day 2019 - Suicide prevention

The focus of this year’s World Mental Health Day, on 10 October, was suicide prevention. WHO used the opportunity of World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September to launch, together with partners  ̶  the World Federation for Mental Health, the International Association for Suicide Prevention and United for Global Mental Health  ̶  a campaign asking people to prepare to take 40 seconds of action on World Mental Health Day. The campaign was launched by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, with Talinda Bennington, mental health advocate.

During the month-long campaign, WHO launched a number of materials including:

• a booklet with latest data on suicide around the world;
• one-pagers and short animations on what health workers, teachers, employers, journalists, emergency responders and prison workers can do to help prevent suicide;
• a guide for filmmakers and others working on stage and screen on responsible portrayal of suicide; and
• a resource for pesticide registrars and regulators on preventing suicide
• video messages from the WHO Director General (Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus) and Director for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (Dr Devora Kestel)

Links also include materials from previous years:

• an interactive map on suicide rates (2016)
• suicide prevention toolkit for engaging communities
• what to do if you feel life is not worth living or know someone who is considering suicide