125 cases of attempted suicide and 47 of deliberate self-harm cases recorded from January to November this year

125 cases of attempted suicide and 47 cases of Deliberate Self-Harm were attended from January to November this year.

Some of these causes are the loss of a loved one, end of a relationship, major changes in life circumstances such as divorce, unemployment, retirement or homelessness.

Other reasons given are overwhelming financial troubles, being diagnosed with a life-changing illness, major illness that may lead to partial or permanent disability, surviving a traumatic event, facing legal challenges, bullying, prejudice or stigma such as relating to one’s race, gender, disability or sexual identity, different types of abuse such as physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, addiction or substance abuse.

This was revealed by Empower Pacific who says these cases were referred through various sources such as hospitals based through the Ministry of Health, Empower Pacific Helpline and community-based referrals.

Empower Pacific says suicide is an issue of concern which seeks to enhance the full potential of communities and vulnerable individuals/groups by working in partnership with government and other community agencies to ensure a holistic model of professional health and community service delivery.

They say while it is critical to understand the prominent reasons for people committing or attempting to commit suicide, it is essential to be aware of the extreme emotions they experience.

The organisation says during this challenging phase of sadness or grief, shame, worthlessness, intense guilt, rage or a desire to seek revenge, feelings of being a burden to others, life is not worth living, feeling trapped physically or emotional, intense physical or emotional pain and complete sense of hopelessness- that things will never get better.

Empower Pacific further says they have a team of qualified Counsellors and Social Workers who provide relevant and appropriate interventions to people such as therapeutic counselling services, social work interventions, case management concerning gender-based violence, child protection, mental health, and suicide prevention.

The organisation also says that some of the challenges faced are due to myths, and societal and cultural barriers such as salking about suicide increases the chance a person will act on it, stigmatizing attitudes and views or seeing a way out of one's situation.

Empower Pacific also operates a 24/7 Toll Free Counselling Help Line – 5626 that can be accessed by the public during time of need through both Vodafone and Digicel platform.