Today, 10 September 2015, represents the 12th edition of the annual World Suicide Prevention Day, whereby the nations of the world are called on to help raise awareness about suicide and how it can be prevented.

Suicide is still a major factor in today's society, with a recent report by the World Health Organisation estimating that is is the cause of death for over 800,000 people annually. WHO also reported that for every suicide, at least six people in the deceased's circle subsequently experience a grave psychological, social and/or financial impact, meaning that such an act can ripple through the community.

It is for this reason that the World Suicide Prevention day was first started by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in 2003. This year, the focus will be on the topic of 'Reaching Out to Save Lives', encouraging people to break the isolating silence on the subject by asking somebody potentially in trouble what the matter is, without judging or trivialising their issues, which may just save lives.

Suicide can affect more people than just the individual contemplating it, as for family members and friends knowing that somebody they love feels the need to end their life is an extremely painful experience.

Last July, Luxembourg adopted a National Suicide Prevention Plan (PNPSL) for 2015-2019, based on the Australian model 'Living is for Everyone' (LIFE). The LIFE model centres around six axes of intervention, with the aim of combatting the causes and consequences of suicide and in so doing reducing the amount of suicide attempts and fatalities.

The objectives of Luxembourg's PNPSL are to strengthen individuals, families and the community; individual and collective resilience to traumatic events; community capacities to identify care needs; individual and collective capacity to respond quickly and efficiently to distressed people; and coordination between relevant actors to generate a smooth transition to the person suffering.

Within these objectives, Luxembourg is seeking a prevention policy which incorporates a 'Health in All Policies' multisectoral approach to address risk factors at varying levels, including the education of children and young people, research into effective treatments for mental disorders, an environmental response and an analysis of risk factors.

The public is being encourage to use social media to get the word out, or simply sit down with friends and have open discussions. Through a combined effort of awareness and action, Luxembourg and the world can reduce the amount of lives ended unnecessarily through suicide.

Hotlines and info:

For concerned relatives: 26-64-05-55
For children and youth: 11-61-11
SOS Distress: 45-45-45
National Suicide Prevention Plan: http://www.sante.public.lu/fr/actualites/2015/07/prevention-suicide/index.html