World suicide prevention day

One person dies from suicide every 40 seconds around the world and it is the second leading cause of death for Canadian youth.

Those numbers from the recent WHO report on suicide prevention are staggering.

The #raiseHOPE social media campaign plans to change that. Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, friends and families who have lost loved ones to suicide are honouring their loved ones and raising awareness for suicide prevention.

Friends and families are asked to write how their loved one inspired them on a piece of card or paper. On a second piece of card or paper they will write: "Through my lived experience I now understand’" with the hashtag #raiseHOPE. The images will then be shared via social media with the goal of helping to educate others about suicide prevention.

Mother, author and mental health advocate, Lynn Keane, launched the campaign. Keane lost her son to suicide.

The World Health Organization recently released its first-ever report on suicide prevention. In it, they outline their goal to reduce the rate of suicide in all countries by 10 percent by 2020.

"Over 800 000 people die due to suicide every year and it is the second leading cause of death in 15 to 29-year-olds. There are indications that for each adult who died of suicide there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide," the WHO report reads.

The conversation about suicide has been a little louder since the tragic passing of actor Robin Williams last month.

If you or someone you love has thought or talked about suicide, there is help:
suicideprevention.ca
Canadian Mental Health Association